Episode II: Shroud of the Darkside
by DarthPlagueis2122
Summary: The sequel is here. As the Separatist movement gains strength and a series of assassinations rocks the Republic to its core, two Jedi will be called upon to protect the galaxy's only hope for peace. Amidala, a Jedi, and his apprentice will have to band together with a rough-and-tumble frieghter pilot in order to save the galaxy from civil war. Constructive criticism is welcome.
1. Separatists and Assassins

**Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy as It Should Have Been**

 **By Darth Plagueis2122**

 **Note to the Reader:** Welcome back to my retelling of the _Star Wars_ prequel trilogy. You'll notice a few changes and additions in this story. In retrospect, I see my take of _The Phantom Menace_ as a necessary (albeit brief) prologue to the subsequent two episodes. While writing it, I recognized what many reviewers online have suggested...perhaps one could have started with Episode II first and dispensed with a prologue. However, I think I dealt fairly with the set up needed in Episode I. At the end of the day, characters need to meet and the chess game must start somewhere. Needless to say, my approach to Episode I was to paint a broad-strokes picture to set the stage for the greater drama to follow.

My approach to Episode II: Shroud of the Dark Side differs in many ways from what I did with Episode I. For starters, I have seen more reviews, read other fanfictions, and seen some very interesting material. If you haven't seen it yet, I advise you to go to YouTube and checkout the wonderful fan edit _Star Wars: "The Blackened Mantle"_ which is an excellent retelling of the story. There is also a noir-themed _Star Wars_ prequel fan edit that's also worth taking a look at. Along with the other vidoes and reviews I've cited before (Belated Media, Red Letter Media, Jeremy Jahns, and Binary Bastard), these fanfilms have really given me a new sense of direction especially regarding where to take the story and how to craft Anakin and Padmé's love story and beginning to set up how a noble Jedi can fall and become an infamous Dark Lord of the Sith (I feel that these two points are some of the strongest weaknesses in the prequel trilogy that Lucas gave us in the movie theaters).

You'll notice that the story being told here is also significant longer. Each chapter is very long. I am not feeling rushed, this story (along with a rewrite of Episode III which is already forming in my mind) is one I have been dying to tell, so I want to enjoy it for a while if possible. As a result, it will take longer for updates to be posted as a result of the time it takes me to map out and write a chapter. Trust me, it'll be worth the wait.

Once again, I need not remind people that I do not own _Star Wars_ , LucasFilm and Disney do, but I sure love playing around in the wonderful galaxy that they created.

So without further ado, let's jump in again...shall we?

 _A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..._

 **Episode II:**

 **Shroud of the Dark Side**

 **There is unrest in the Galaxy** **.**

 **Several thousand star** **systems have declared their**

 **intentions to leave the Republic.**

 **This separatist movement,**

 **led by Count Dooku** **,**

 **has** **made it difficult for the limited**

 **number of Jedi Knights to maintain**

 **peace and order in the galaxy.**

 **With the former Jedi Dooku unable to control his own supporters,**

 **Queen Amidala attempts to form an alliance to stave off Civil War**

 **as the Senate considers buidling** **an ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC**

 **to assist the overwhelmed** **Jedi...**

 **Act I**

 **Chapter 1**

Anakin Skywalker's eyes opened as he found himself chained to a grayish-colored column. The little he remembered was getting swarmed by a bunch of Separatist droids before his vision went dark. To his left was his master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. The two had grown close over the course of ten years filled with countless missions many of them spent in the Outer Rim Territories. Kenobi had risen up through the ranks over the past decade. Indeed, he now had five years under his belt as a full-fledged Jedi Master though he had not yet been invited to serve on the High Council. He had made a reputation for himself simply as "The Negotiator" because of his skills with a lightsaber in difficult situations. He sported a reddish beard on his face that marked him with distinction. Anakin rarely called him master or even Obi-Wan. Instead he called him by another more familiar name. One he had earned when they had fallen into a vile nest of gundarks around the same time that Kenobi first attained the rank of master.

"What do you think of the odds Ben?" Kenobi rolled his eyes. Initially he found the name annoying when his apprentice began to use. Over the years they spent together, however, it grew on him—he honestly liked the fact that Anakin referred to him by that name. It was a mark of the friendship and genuine affection both men had for each other. Kenobi remembered with fondness the story of that name. During a routine patrol of Tatooine, a group of local Tusken Raiders had invited the two Jedi to liberate them from a persistent set of gundarks that terrorized the region and killed moisture farmers and Sand People indiscriminately alike. It was child's play—almost beneath what a Jedi was supposed to do—but it was far more dangerous than either he or Anakin would ever care to admit. When they had vanquished the foul beasts, the ecstatic tribesmen heralded Kenobi as their savior—they called him _Urrgah-Ben_ —which Anakin said roughly translated into "mighty slayer." Obi-Wan had his doubts about the veracity of that name. Whatever it meant, the name stuck and now his young apprentice refused to call him by any other. By comparison to their previous adventures with wild beasts, the threat that confronted them now was significantly worse than when they faced down the gundarks. They would both need to keep their wits about them if they were to get out of this mess.

"Hopefully they are in our favor." He stared at the thousands of spectators waiting for the beasts to enter the arena. Geonosians were insect-like with harsh wings and vile faces. The planet was dotted with caverns and honey-combed labyrinth-like structures. This world was surrounded by a ring cluttered with asteroids. It was a slightly more humid version of Tatooine. Only this planet was covered with bright red and orange sand and dotted with rocky cliffs and large sets of rivers which cut through the cliff sides on a regular basis creating more of the same unforgiving and uninviting territory. The sun beat heavily on the two Jedi Knights. Sweat dripped from their faces. While Anakin relished these sorts of adventures, Kenobi was more reserved than his outgoing apprentice. Though only a few years separated them in age, it might as well have been decades—so different were their respective temperaments. Anakin shouted out to his master.

"They weren't too smart…they didn't take our lightsabers!"

"Well, so much for small miracles Anakin!" For all their bravado, Obi-Wan really had no idea how they were going to get out of this situation. It seemed impossible, but their scheduled execution would be the necessary powder keg that would set the galaxy ablaze in all-out war. They had been following the trail of a bounty hunter known only as Jango Fett. He had a significant reputation in Hutt Space for being one of the most feared bounty hunters in the region and quite possibly the galaxy. Other than the name they knew nothing else about him or his motives—except for the fact that he was the prime suspect in a string of assassinations that rocked Coruscant and the Galactic Republic to its very core. He had a lot of blood and his hands, and it didn't seem like he was going to stop his violent killing spree.

No sooner had they arrived on the planet than they found more than they bargained for as they discovered a massive military presence on the planet. The self-styled Separatist Movement (officially known as the Confederacy of Independent Systems) had been pushing for less bureaucracy and greater autonomy for systems that were not in the Galactic Core. These systems thought that their views not being heard in the halls of the Galactic Senate. They proceeded to launch a campaign of organized protest mixed with violent raids against symbols of Republican authority—the latter approach came with devastating consequences.

Though the Order of Jedi Knights was ostensibly apolitical, as defenders of peace and justice, they could not help but take notice of the increasing tensions that inched the galaxy ever so closer to the brink of civil war. What began as a series of disputes over autonomy and representation now threatened to spill over into something far worse. The Jedi High Council was also aware that they could not respond to every potential threat. The estimated number of Jedi Knights scattered throughout the galaxy number around 10,000—certainly not enough to deal with a full-blown war. Furthermore, the Republican army and navy, though formidable, simply did not have the requisite number of troops to engage a growing enemy—this reality became ever clearer as the Separatists began to rely heavily on the droid armies of the Trade Federation and the Techno Union both of whom had scores of their own to settle with the Republic and the Jedi. With a nearly unlimited supply of soldiers and battlecruisers as their disposal—there was a palpable tension among many senators that the Republic was woefully unprepared to deal with the threat posed by insurrection and war.

However, as united as the Separatists appeared, they were heavily factionalized (perhaps even more so than the Galactic Republic from which they longed to break free). Those who coalesced under the nominal leadership of the former Jedi Master Count Dooku eschewed violence and sought real change within the confines of the Republic. They formed a solid block—a loyal opposition of sorts in the Galactic Senate. Perhaps the most powerful advocate for this reformist wing of the Separatist Movement was none other than Bail Organa, the Senator and High Prince Representing Alderaan.

Nevertheless, not all Separatists agreed with Dooku and Organa's gradualist approach. Many Separatists continued to work with the Federation and others in pursuit of a military solution to the tensions that wracked the Republic. Inevitably, the tensions within the heavily factionalized Separatist camp led to conflict with the Republic and the Jedi Knights. The precipitating event that pushed the galaxy over the precipice was the systematic assassination by rogue Separatists of several key Republican senators, and this is where Jango Fett's handiwork came into stark relief. Over the past few weeks, at least twelve senators had been targeted—seven of them were killed and the rest were badly wounded and fighting for their lives in various medical centers scattered across Coruscant.

The Jedi Council decided to dispatch two knights to track down the alleged assassin. The two they happened to send on this mission were Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. How they got here however was less important than how the two Jedi were going to survive their terrible ordeal in the arena. Kenobi didn't relish his role as the prime motivator of war. Hopefully the distress call they sent out to the Republic had gotten through. If it did, Minister Palpatine and the Council would have mobilized the Republican army and been hot on their trail. Otherwise, they were surely dead. Suddenly the gates opened, and out came several gigantic beasts that seemed to emerge from their worst nightmares.

"Ready?" Anakin nodded. Without another word passing between them, they both leapt up at the same time shattering the chains that held them to the pillars and igniting their lightsabers.

"That's wasn't so bad."  
"Let's not celebrate just yet." A large reptilian beast made its way to the center of the arena. Anakin closed his eyes as his master looked on anxiously. He ran toward the beast and leapt over it in a single bound driving his blade down hard taking two of its eight legs off in one clean sweep. "Nice shot!"

"Watch out!" A large Acklay came toward them screeching loudly. They two Jedi jumped out of the way. Several other gates opened releasing a wider variety of beasts. One extremely large gate remained unopened as of yet.

"We can't do this forever Anakin." Obi-Wan struggled to catch his breath as the two knights ran off toward one of the shattered columns that stood near one side of the arena. "Even with lightsabers, we can't take them all on." Anakin searched the stands, trying desperately to come up with a plan.

"Ben, there's something else we aren't seeing." Kenobi felt it too. The Geonosians were holding something back. They didn't have much time to ponder over their predicament. Another Acklay, this one was red in color, came at them. They gripped the hilts of their lightsabers hard and charged at it. Anakin grunted as he took several of its legs while Kenobi leapt into the air and chopped off the beast's head. The other creatures started backing away, but it wasn't out of fear of the Jedi. A large roar broke out through the arena followed swiftly by silence. Even in the stands filled with gawking Geonosians, there was not a word to be heard. A heavy metallic thud could be heard as the largest gate slowly opened. There was another large roar as a mighty green Rancor stepped forward and lumbered slowly toward the Jedi Knights. "Any ideas?"

"Run Anakin! He can't go after both of us." But Skywalker stood his ground.

"Get behind me now."

"What? You can't take that thing on, it's too strong."

"I know…I can't explain it Ben…but I need you trust me right now." Kenobi sighed and grabbed hold of his blade.

"When I have heard that line before…" He mustered his courage and stood behind his apprentice. Both of them gripped their blades tightly. The Rancor let out a powerful roar as it displayed its full power. The beast extended its claws out to grab both of the Jedi.

"No matter what happens, stay behind me." There was a strong determination behind Skywalker's words. He was young and still learning the ways of the Force, but his gut feelings were almost always spot on. Obi-Wan Kenobi implicitly trusted his apprentice. He nodded his head never taking his eyes off of the beast. Anakin closed his eyes once again and tried to center himself. He raised his saber then ran forward with Kenobi close behind him as they dove underneath the massive legs of the Rancor. The beast took a moment to realize what happened before it began to turn around. By then, Anakin had jumped on to the beast and plunged his lightsaber into its back. The Rancor screamed in pain and knocked Skywalker hard to the ground. Some blood began seeping down the creature's back and it took longer more measured breaths, but it was still a force to be dealt with. Anakin slowly rose to his feet, he felt dazed. Obi-Wan Kenobi ran toward him to help him up.

"You all right?"

"Don't worry about me Ben. Go against it now."

"What? You want me to charge it?"

"It may be our only chance!" Kenobi couldn't believe what the younger Jedi was asking him to do. He did his best to clear his mind and then turned to face the beast. Without a second thought, he ran headlong toward the Rancor. He yelled out loudly as his blade connected with the leathery flesh—he concentrated only on hacking and slashing his way till he reached the opposite side of the arena. He could hear the crowd excitedly shouting and screaming. Something had happened along the way. Anakin ran toward him a beaming smile on his face.

"What happened?"

"Didn't you see?" Kenobi saw the Rancor (or what was left of it) split in half in the arena with blood and burnt leather shards scattered along the way.

"We aren't out of this yet Anakin." The words barely came out of his mouth as a horde of Geonosians and Separatist battledroids spilled into the arena—the mix of spears and blasters trained on the two knights. Both men knew that they could not defeat all of the soldiers that were encircling them in a deadly vice ready for the kill.

Before anyone knew what was happening, a large familiar sound broke through the atmosphere. The two Jedi looked up as they saw several hundred Republic troop carriers, accompanied by a contingent of gunships, descending on their position laying down cover fire against the droids. The unmistakable figure of Jedi Master Mace Windu was leading the troops as they descended down to rescue the two Jedi.

The gunships opened fire against the droids as laser and blaster fire mingled throughout the sky. Anakin and Obi-Wan made their way to the nearest troop carrier. They could hear Mace Windu barking out orders to some of the personnel on board his craft.

"Once the Jedi are aboard pursue the droids out of the arena. We can't let them get away!" A young captain in the Republican navy accompanied him at his side—though stocky and inexperienced he carried himself with grace and authority. The young Mon Calamarian was named Gial Ackbar. He quickly noticed that the droids and Geonosians were now in full retreat from the arena.

"Sir, the gunships should move ahead of us right away. We can cut off their escape route before they make it to those Federation cruisers."

"Do it." Ackbar turned around and instructed his men to move the gunships further away. Obi-Wan finished jumping aboard the cruiser shortly after the Mon Calamarian finished giving instructions to his men. "All right, let's head out now!" The rest of the troop carriers rose into the air and began to engage the Separatist forces ahead of them. Anakin strapped himself in next to Kenobi and the two let out an almost simultaneous sigh of relief.

"Well, Ben I'd say that was another successful mission." Kenobi rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders.

"Your definition of successful and mine are completely different Anakin." Windu heard their banter and smiled as he joined them.

"Glad we ran into you Obi-Wan."

"Better late than never I'd say." He paused and stared down at the now empty arena. "So Palpatine got our message?"

"Yes and he made us move right away. He sent us with a very large fleet." Anakin spoke up.

"Smart move on his part." Windu faced him.

"Perhaps…I didn't think we needed four regiments but he wanted us to take all the necessary precautions." Windu took in a deep breath and steadied himself as the carrier banked right quickly. "Did you find Jango Fett?" The feeling of levity that had been there quickly ceased as soon as Mace Windu uttered that name. Both Jedi looked away from him a bit disappointed. Finally, Kenobi spoke up and broke the awkward silence.

"We did, but he got away. Fett knew we were coming." Anakin piped up.

"It's like he expected us Master Windu." Windu shook his head.

"You both covered yourselves very well. There was no way he could've know you were on to him."

Somehow he did," said Kenobi. "One thing's for certain…he's definitely responsible for the slew of assassinations we've had on Coruscant." Windu's eyes burst open upon hearing that.

"You have proof of this?" Anakin nodded.

"Yes, he's our guy. But…it doesn't add up…"

"How so?" asked the older Jedi.

"He's one of the most renowned bounty hunters in the Outer Rim. I should know. The Hutts used him a lot on Tatooine and Nar Shaddaa…his name was feared among slaves and smugglers alike. To hire someone like him, you need a lot of resources. I think he's working for the Separatists full time…" Windu interrupted Anakin's account.

"So he's not with the Hutts anymore?"

"Not with the amount of time and effort he's been putting in with the Separatists. He's not just an assassin…with what we saw here before they captured us he's playing a much bigger role than just a hired gun. Fett's serving as a military commander and a mediator between the various Separatist factions. He has no time to work for anyone else. There's something else that doesn't make much sense either. This guy is a brilliant assassin and a good tactician, but he's not capable of marshaling so many Separatists."

"You think there's someone else behind him?" asked Windu.

"I think we have to consider the very real possibility that he's working for Darth Sidious." A chill went down Windu's spine at the mention of that name. He scratched his chin for a moment and then turned to face Kenobi.

"Do you agree with your padawan's assessment?" Kenobi nodded his head.

"I saw much the same thing. There's no doubt in my mind that Sidious is pulling the strings here. The level of organization that these Separatists have, that fact that they are totally outside of the control of Dooku and antithetical to Senator Organa…it's all very suspicious." Captain Ackbar approached the three Jedi.

"Sorry to interrupt." Windu replied.

"Not at all, report Captain."

"The gunships have intercepted the fleeing Separatists. We managed to cut their army in half, but a large amount of them got away. We only brought down two or three of the Federation's battlecruisers. The rest made their way off world before we could reach them. There's no world from our fleet—but it's safe they say we didn't intercept them. It appears that they've abandoned Geonosis for now."

"Very well then, continue to mop up the rest of the resistance and prepare the fleet to return to Coruscant as soon as enemy hostilities have ceased." The Mon Calamarian bowed and left.

"Yes sir." Windu strapped himself in the last remaining seat next to Anakin.

"Palpatine agrees with your assessment of the situation. But what's happened here isn't good news for anyone." Obi-Wan Kenobi spoke up.

"Why, what's wrong?"

"The Senate has voted overwhelmingly to expand the Republican military, increase the draft, and make use of clone troopers."

"Are you serious?"

"We knew that was coming Ben," said Anakin as he looked out to the horizon. Mace Windu shook his head sadly.

"War is coming swiftly upon us all I am afraid." He paused for a moment as their carrier lurched up into the outer atmosphere of the planet. "As soon as we finish here we have to go back to Coruscant immediately. The High Council is holding an emergency session. They'll want to hear a full report of the situation from both of you." Kenobi played with the hilt of his saber as he spoke again.

"Does Yoda think we can avoid war? Especially after this mess, I don't think that's possible or even realistic…" Windu replied calmly.

"It's never too late. But we are close to a turning point in this conflict. This is no longer about galactic politics. Besides, there is still some hope. A number of Loyalist and Separatist senators are working feverishly to avert bloodshed. The High Council will have to consider some of these proposals as well." He paused and looked intently at the younger Jedi. "Yoda made it perfectly clear that he wants both of you to give your thoughts on the matter. We don't just want a standard report. We need to look at this Separatist crisis with fresh eyes—eyes that haven't been blighted by spending too much time in the hustle bustle of capital politics if you catch my drift."

"We do," said Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Coruscant felt less inviting than the first time Anakin Skywalker arrived in the metropolis more than ten years earlier. They rode in silence as their small transport carried them (along with Mace Windu) toward the mighty Jedi Temple. The emergency session of the High Council coincided with simultaneous debates in the Galactic Senate which stood only a few blocks down from the temple square. Everyone was taking the events of the past few months seriously. There was fear in the air, and there was significantly less traffic in the upper levels of the city as more people stayed at home to avoid the bombings and protests that were disrupting civic life. Uneasiness was palpable throughout the city, and it did not leave the Jedi Order unscathed either. As Anakin and Obi-Wan walked behind Mace Windu they noticed that there were substantially less Jedi milling about the corridors. Indeed, very few Jedi brought their families to the main capital grounds for fear of violence and bloodshed.

The three Jedi made their way in silence up the turbolift to the main council chamber. The massive doors slid open and they saw many familiar faces—Plo Kun, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Depa Billaba, among others. They were engaged in a heated debate among each other and with Minister Sheev Palpatine who stood in the center of the room pacing back and forth. It barely registered when the three Jedi entered.

"We have no choice Ki-Adi…there simply aren't enough Jedi Knights to deal with this threat," said Palpatine forcefully. The Cerean master shook his head and slammed his fist down hard on the chair.

"Minister Palpatine, with all due respect, we cannot give in to brash militarism so quickly. The Republic hasn't fought a full-scale war for the better part of two thousand years…you cannot expect our forces to be ready for this fight…Count Dooku can contain the Separatists…" Palpatine was about to respond when Mace Windu spoke up loudly with the two younger Jedi in tow behind him.

"Forgive the intrusion but I think we need to put our differences aside for a moment." There was silence in the chamber now as Windu continued. "We need to hear out Master Kenobi and his padawan on what they uncovered at Geonosis." Ki-Adi-Mundi motioned for the two Jedi to step forward next to Palpatine. They did so in silence.

"What have you uncovered Master Jedi," asked Mundi. The room was anxious with anticipation at what news they might have brought.

"We tracked down the bounty hunter suspected of murdering several senators." Plo-Kun spoke up.

"Jango Fett?"

"Yes." Obi-Wan stared down to the floor, searching for the right words. "The Separatists who were gathering there were building a significant military presence. There were thousands of droid factories and a large complement of Federation and Techno Union battlecruisers present. There can be no other conclusion that some of the Separatists are preparing for war with the Republic." Anakin Skywalker stepped forward amidst the murmuring of the Jedi Masters.

"Forgive my impertinence, but while many Separatists respect Count Dooku…I don't think the ones who hired Fett and have started building that army we saw are going to back down. They won't listen to Dooku or anyone else for that matter." He paused and then added, "For what it's worth, I don't like the idea of clone troopers …much less an expanded army…It's dangerous and could lead to a much wider conflict which nobody wants. But these guys are growing strong and they aren't taking prisoners…had Master Windu and the Republican troops not made it when they did…Ben and I probably wouldn't be here right now. At the very least we need reinforcements." When he had finished speaking, Anakin stepped closer to his master and waited for the Council to speak up. No one did. Sheev Palpatine spoke up after looking briefly at his comm link. He had just received an urgent message from the floor of the Senate.

"Given what we've heard from Master Kenobi and Skywalker…I think we have no choice but to make use of the clone troopers. I just received word that the Senate has voted to increase military spending and has further voiced support for the Military Expansion and Reorganization Act. I know we are all uncomfortable with this…but we have to come to grips with reality…" He was about say more when suddenly the doors to the chamber opened, illuminating the venerable Grand Master of the Order—Yoda.

"Late I am to this meeting…my apologies." No one uttered a word. All eyes focused on the diminutive Jedi Master as he slowly made his way to the center chair, the only sound echoing through the room was the sound of his well-worn gimer stick. "Right Palpatine is I fear. Stopped the Separatists must be if we are to have peace." He paused as he sat down gently. "But might alone wins not wars. Victory uncertain is if confront them we do in this manner."

"Master Yoda," Palpatine interjected. "Are you suggesting that we should not resist them at all?"

"No…no…but another way we must find to confront this enemy. Clouded the future is by the Dark Side of the Force. We must be careful if challenge them we do in this manner we end up ourselves destroyed in the process." All in the room nodded their heads in agreement—everyone except for Palpatine.

"Your perspective is always refreshing Master Yoda. But I am afraid to say that the point is moot. The Senate has already voted in favor of expanding the military and using the clone troopers. Furthermore, as the highest ranking member of the Republican Defense Council, I have no choice but to follow the will of the people in this matter. And the people my Jedi friends, want to feel safe and secure. They don't want to be afraid anymore." Yoda chuckled with a mix of gravity and seriousness.

"Precisely my point this is Minister Palpatine. Fear is what our enemies want. Fear is what seek to prevent we do. But we must be cautious that overtake us this fear does not. Or else suffer our democracy will…crushed our civic life will be…Fear I do that dark times the Republic faces." Palpatine cleared his throat and spoke up.

"I am sorry. I don't see any other way out of this situation. We will prepare for any eventuality. And I would hope that the Jedi Order would bury their policy disagreements and, at the very least, take leadership of this army. We need all of you now more than ever." Yoda smiled and nodded his head.

"If needed we are, we shall be of service. In the meantime, consider your proposal we will."

"Very well then…I have an army to organize…if you'll excuse me." Palpatine bowed and left the chamber. Mace Windu turned to face Yoda.

"That didn't go well. I am afraid Palpatine's right. You weren't there Yoda. It was a nightmare getting Obi-Wan and Anakin free from the clutches of those Geonosians." The green-colored Jedi master raised his left hand up dismissing Windu's concerns as he spoke in a calm and relaxed manner.

"Time there still is for us to avoid conflict. The House of Organa a solution may have." Kenobi spoke up.

"What kind of solution are they proposing?"

"A unity conference they propose…hold in two months time they will. Hope to bring Separatists and Republican senators they do. Queen Amidala proposed this last night to the full senate." Hearing Padmé Amidala's name again brought mixed emotions to Kenobi. His thoughts returned to that day ten years ago in the palace when he lost Qui-Gon and faced down Darth Maul. The next statement out of Yoda's mouth sent shivers down Kenobi's spine. "In grave danger she is in I fear…" His first instinct was to protect her. He shouted out almost without thinking,

"What! From whom?" Windu spoke up.

"There have been threats against her life. Rumor has it that the Separatists have put a heavy price on her head. They don't want this unity conference to be held…much less to succeed." He paused and looked squarely into Kenobi's eyes. "She and the other delegates will need to be protected for the next two months. Bail is working with Dooku to rally the Separatist factions for the conference, but they'll need time. If Amidala dies, any chance of peace dies with her. She is seen as the voice of reason by both the Loyalists and the Separatist camps. We believe that she maybe the only one capable of bringing the two sides together." Anakin was curious and asked the obvious question.

"So you're sending us to protect her, aren't you?" Yoda smiled at the precocious youth.

"Great insight you have young Skywalker…less certain I am about the feelings of your master…" Obi-Wan was taken aback by Yoda's suggestion that he was somehow conflicted, even though he knew it to be true he didn't want to admit it openly.

"I am perfectly capable of fulfilling this mission." Windu waved his hand for him to be silent.

"We are well-aware of your personal history with Queen Amidala. We know you worked well with her in the past Obi-Wan. We also know how much Qui-Gon Jinn meant to both you and Padmé. Though there is certainly much conflict in you, quite frankly you two are probably the only Jedi who can deal with her."

"How do you figure that?" asked Obi-Wan.

"She's not known for her patience or her willingness to listen to orders. In fact, if I remember correctly, you are the only one she would ever take orders from." Kenobi couldn't help but smile. He wanted to laugh, but it was true. Padmé Amidala was known for being strong-willed. Even though ten years had passed, that aspect of her personality hadn't changed one bit. _Had she really been queen for fifteen years already?_ When they first met, she was twenty-two and had only been on the throne for five years. Now, in her early thirties, she ruled with grace and poise but was still as independent as ever.

"We will do whatever it takes to keep her safe." Yoda nodded his head.

"Good. May the Force be with you both." With that, the meeting had ended and the two young Jedi were dismissed.

Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi moved to the lower levels of the Jedi Temple. The young apprentice couldn't help but tease his master.

"So let me get this straight, in case I missed anything…"

"Out with it Anakin…don't play games."

"You liked her…didn't you Ben?" Kenobi rolled his eyes and sighed trying to (unsuccessfully) roll with it.

"Yes I did." Anakin still felt like ribbing Kenobi, but his tenor became more serious as the conversation progressed.

"I mean I don't want to tell your business…but we're not emotionless…we aren't droids…we are supposed to care about other people…isn't that one of the first lessons you taught me master?" Kenobi stopped by one of the large windows overlooking the Galactic Senate.

"I also taught you to be mindful of the kinds of attachments you form."

"Still, I don't entirely understand why you let her go."

"Anakin…you are still a young Jedi with much to learn." He paused. "You wouldn't understand." It was Skywalker's turn to roll his eyes.

"…I wouldn't understand? Ben we've both lost people we cared about…I mean we've been together for a while spending months at a time together on various missions, right?" Kenobi nodded his head. "We share everything with each other. This is one thing you have never been able to talk with me about…" He thought about his next sentence, about whether or not he should say it. He decided to be impulsive and confront his friend directly. "Obi-Wan you have to stop blaming yourself for Qui-Gon's death. You did exactly what you needed to do that day on Alderaan." He paused again. "You had to save her life, it was your duty." Kenobi sighed as his shoulders dropped and he leaned his head against the hard glass of the window. They stood there motionless for a moment. Anakin was waiting to hear something—anything from his master. Finally, Obi-Wan Kenobi found his voice and the courage to speak openly to his padawan.

"I am sorry. You're right of course. I shouldn't have kept you in the dark for so long." He paused a bit and turned around to face Anakin Skywalker. "We lost a lot more than Qui-Gon Jinn that day. Dooku went off and did what he felt he needed to do. Then there was Maul. He was so pathetic at the end, I pitied him. He wouldn't take my hand…He wouldn't allow me to save him…he just dropped down the falls…" It was clear his was holding back tears. It was difficult for Anakin to see Obi-Wan in so much pain. "I hated him then. I'd be lying to myself if I felt otherwise. Though I wanted him to take my hand that day, I'm glad he fell. I hate him still even after all this time." Hearing that word made Anakin feel uneasy, but he understood (albeit imperfectly) the feelings his master felt.

"Ben you keep on torturing yourself with that day. You're replaying it right now. All your failures…everything…you sound afraid more than anything else."

"I know." He paused again. "That's not the worse part of it though…I have dreams…nightmares really…where I see myself having to choose between Qui-Gon and Padmé over and over again…and a voice keeps on taunting me—telling me that I am wrong no matter what I do." Anakin's eyes widened as a realization dawned on him.

"This is exactly what Sidious wants…"

"And that's why I had to let her go Anakin. Sure I felt guilt, confusion, and anger. But that's not why I cut myself off from her. There were plenty of times in the last few years that I could've seen her…but, instead, I've avoided her completely. The Sith see me as a person of interest now, both because of the way I dealt with Maul but also because they can sense my confusion and anger. It's easy to get at a Jedi through the people he loves and cares about Anakin. That's why Jedi Masters, especially those on the Council, don't generally have families. A knight can have a family, he can balance affection with his duty to the Force and the Republic…but those who have the most responsibility…the most commitments…they can't afford to have their emotions called into question. They become clouded…" He paused to gather his thoughts together. "The point is that I can't put Padmé in the crosshairs any more than she already is…Sidious is bent on taking her life one way or another. He tried it ten years ago and I am convinced he's trying it again now with this business with the Separatists. I can't make her more of a target, I can't leave an opening for fear to creep in and corrupt me either. Do you understand what I'm saying now?" Anakin nodded his head.

"I do." They made their way down a few more levels in silence. When they reached the mezzanine—overlooking the mighty statues and the great square of the Temple, they saw an amazing sight in front of them. There was a woman dressed in a conservative black flight suit. Her curly brown hair pulled back behind her face. She seemed older than the last time they met her, but there was no mistaking who she was. When she saw the two Jedi Knights she smiled and walked slowly toward him. Anakin looked at Obi-Wan, "You ready for this old man?" Kenobi smiled.

"Who are you calling old?" Kenobi patted him on the back. The two Jedi laughed as they made their way to the clearing and bowed before the Queen of Alderaan—Padmé Amidala.

Amidala was struck by how mature Obi-Wan Kenobi looked. He sported a reddish beard, but otherwise he was the same Jedi Knight who had gone with her to free her brother and liberate Alderaan from the Federation's occupation. The younger Jedi next to him she vaguely recalled from their brief meeting at Tatooine. He had long sandy brown hair, dressed in dark blackish robes and still had the same blue eyes she had seen before the podrace. The levity between the two that she saw when they first became master and apprentice had only grown in the intervening years—and she was happy that Obi-Wan seemed content with his life as a Jedi Master. They bowed to her respectfully and she smiled.

"It's good to see you again Master Jedi." Kenobi did his best to play it cool and avoid her gaze, but he couldn't help it. He let out a brief smile back at her before he spoke up.

"You look wonderful Padmé." He forgot some of his manners and stepped back letting Anakin come forward. "Let me introduce to someone who I am sure you remember…this is Anakin Skywalker—Jedi Knight." Anakin was happy that his master introduced him that way. He bowed down slightly before her.

"Actually I am Ben's apprentice, a padawan…but we've been through a lot together to put it mildly." She dispensed with the rest of the politeness that would have been expected from someone of her social standing and jumped right in to the business at hand.

"I hate protection details as you well know Obi-Wan." He nodded his head recalling their earlier adventures. "But the Jedi Council didn't give me much choice in the matter." Obi-Wan spoke up now.

"I know how tough you are…but no one's invincible. And in light of what's going on in the rest of the galaxy right now, you appear to be our only hope for peace." Padmé turned away.

"My loyalties rest with the Republic of course. Unfortunately my brother doesn't agree with me. After the Federation invasion…." She paused searching for how to explain her brother's position, "he lost a lot of faith in the Republic."

"Given that Sidious delayed the relief fleet…his views are completely understandable. But the Separatists don't have all the answers. All they're doing is destabilizing the Republic…" She cut Kenobi off.

"Which sounds more like Sidious's doing…"

"Yes, I feel the same way." Anakin liked her directness and the authority with which she carried herself. It made sense why Ben Kenobi would've fallen for her hard. But Anakin Skywalker held himself up to the highest standards of nobility. The ex-slave in him was never far away from his mind. He knew his duties and he carried himself politely. Nevertheless, she was Force-sensitive and could feel his thoughts. Surprisingly, she was as impressed with the younger Jedi as he was with her. Most politicians tolerated the Jedi. She was one of the few who deeply admired the Jedi Order. Though he enjoyed the light banter between his master and the Queen, his senses were suddenly on fire as alarm bells rang out. The Force was screaming out to him. At the very least they needed to get to a more discrete location—the sooner the better.

"My Lady…" Anakin cut in. "I think we need to get indoors…" Kenobi sensed his apprentice's unease as well.

"What do you feel Anakin…what is it?"

"He's here."  
"Who?" asked Kenobi.

"Fett."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely." Both of them saw Separatist protesters doing one of their periodic marches in the distance. There were thousands of them cluttering the government district and making their way toward the Senate building. But that wasn't what was bothering Anakin. He was about to speak up, when suddenly two concussion missiles flew over their heads crashing into one of the large statues dotting the square in front of the Jedi Temple. In an instant, Anakin grabbed hold of Padmé and dove down hard on the ground covering her with his body. Ben Kenobi also hit the floor hard close by them as the statue burst into flames pieces of stone and metal began raining down on the square as multiple alarms began to drone loudly across the area. Kenobi got up breathing hard.

"Anakin is she all right?" Padmé spoke up.

"I'm fine…just fine." The younger Jedi slowly got up to his feet.

 _"Ben…"_ he reached out with the Force as he helped Padmé to her feet. _"…Fett's still here. He's going to try again. I am taking her into the protest…"_

 _"Are you insane?"_

 _"That's the point, he won't fire on Separatist sympathizers…he'll expect us to run in the opposite direction and he will strike again…I feel it."_ Anakin paused keeping the Queen close to him. _"Go back to the Temple and get us help…I am going to try to lose ourselves in the city!"_ Kenobi nodded his head and ran past the decimated statue. "My Lady, stay close to me."

"All right, lead the way!" They ran together. She was clinging to the hem of his cloak as he grabbed the hilt of lightsaber in his hand. They made their way through the wide square and mingled with the protestors who were now lost in confusion as other citizens and local police forces attempted to break through the mass of people gathering near the Temple.

Obi-Wan Kenobi glanced back at to where he had left them and smiled. They had vanished. His apprentice was right. It would be difficult for Jango Fett to track them down now that they had joined up with the crowd.

The two of them ran down some winding streets and passed another group of troopers and police before they made it to a narrow row of alleys in an upper-class section of Coruscant overlooking the Jedi Temple. Anakin pushed Padmé back against the wall. His senses were still ablaze with caution. They weren't out of danger yet.

"Is it okay now?"

"Shh," he said. She held her tongue wanting to make a snide comment but was too tense to do so. He started relaxing a bit. "Listen, we're going to move two blocks down. I know a place where Ben will be able to find us. Does anyone know where you docked your ship?"

"Besides my staff?"

"Yeah."

"No one, but it's on the public registry…anyone could have followed us."

"Then we better count on getting a different ship all right?"

"We're going to leave Coruscant now? I am not ready…they are still people I have to meet with before we start prepping for this conference."

"You're going to have put those plans on hold my Lady, we need to get off this planet as soon as possible." He brought his comm link close to his mouth. "Ben you read me?" Static came through and then suddenly Kenobi's voice squawked over the speaker.

"I'm here Anakin."

"Change of plans. I think the Queen's transport has been compromised. We can't take her ship to get out of here."

"Where can I meet you?"

"The usual spot."

"But that's too open, it's going to be risky."

"We have no choice Ben…we might be able to secure safe passage with a transport in the section. I'll be there in a few minutes, it'll take some time. I need you to show up right away so that we can get off of this rock as fast as possible."

"Understood." The comm link shut off as Anakin put it in his book.

"Anakin…where are we going?" asked Padmé.

"You need to trust me. All right? I can't tell you anything more than that. If you want to say alive, stick with me and don't get out of my sight." She swallowed down hard and nodded her head acquiescing to his demands. "Follow me." They jumped out of the alley quietly and ran down some side streets near a row of silver towers and jutting platforms. It felt like an eternity has passed before they made it to an older group of warehouse east of the Temple area. Anakin grabbed her hand and pulled her through a side door. The lights in the room flickered but it was quiet with small slits for windows. Obi-Wan Kenobi ran up to them from the opposite side of the room.

"Good to see you both made it."

"We might have lost him…I don't sense his signature anymore." Kenobi smiled.

"What's the plan now?"

"We need a run-of-the-mill freighter that we can get on board with the least amount of questions being asked. Something that could take us to the Outer Rim or close to Wild Space…far away from the Core Worlds. Someplace we can all lay low." Kenobi scratched his beard.

"The Merchant District by Republica 2 might be the place we're looking for…but they'll know we're Jedi."

"At this point it doesn't really matter." Kenobi looked at Padmé.

"This all right with you?"

"I don't like running Obi-Wan, but if we have to, then let's do it." The three of them left the warehouse by an alternate exit and slowly headed toward the Merchant District.

They made their way to a smaller hanger and found a long freighter there with mostly cargo being loaded on board. The crew was small, only a pilot and a few mates, which should significantly decrease any attention the Jedi and the Queen might receive. Anakin Skywalker walked up to the pilot who stopped moving some crates around to speak with him. It struck him that this man had a strikingly familiar accent.

"What can I do for you?"

"I am looking to book passage for myself and my companions," he gestured over to Padmé and Obi Wan, "to wherever you're headed with your cargo." The pilot nodded his head. He had dark brown hair and wore standard dress fatigues that were faded brown. He paused for a moment to think about Anakin's request. "If you're concerned about what we can pay…" He gave Anakin a weird look as if he recognized him from somewhere.

"It's not that, it's just uh…this is kind of last minute. We're heading out to Dantooine, then Sullust, and back to Tatooine—that's where I am from. We'll dock there and spend a few weeks refueling and picking up cargo before heading back to the Core Worlds."

"Did you say you're from Tatooine?" The pilot let a small smile come to his face.

"Yeah?"

"Where from?"

"I grew up in Mos Eisely, used to hang around Beggar's Canyon and shoot some random womp rats when I was a kid with my folks." Anakin couldn't believe his luck.

"Well I grew up in Mos Espa…" A twinkling came into the eye of the pilot, now he certainly recognized the man who stood in front of him.

"Wait a minute…by the Force…can't be! …You're him!" Padmé and Obi-Wan were patiently listening and wondering what was going on.

"Who?"

"Yeah…I knew I recognized you from somewhere…you're Anakin Skywalker aren't you?" Anakin gave a somewhat embarrassed look to his companions.

"Yes…why?" The pilot's face beamed with excitement.

"You got me interested in becoming a pilot. I mean this is amazing!" His excitement made Obi-Wan Kenobi chuckle to himself. Anakin was quiet lost.

"I am sorry, where did we meet? I don't know what you are talking about at all…"

"I saw you race in the Boonta Eve Classic…the big one where you beat Sebulba…I never saw a human race like that before…it was exhilarating. I don't believe I am standing in the same room as you." Padmé and Obi-Wan couldn't contain their laughter both at the situation and at the fact that Skywalker was profoundly unaccustomed to being held in such high esteem. "When I saw that race…I said I want to be a pilot just like him." Losing himself for a moment he put his hand out and shook Anakin's "I'm Captain Owen Lars…this is my ship the _Jundland Bay_ …and wherever you and your friends need to go…I'll be glad to take you."

"We got to talk about some sort of compensation here…I refuse to cause you any trouble." Lars looked down and saw that Anakin had a lightsaber hanging from his waste.

"So you're a Jedi too?" Anakin nodded quietly.

"I won't hear of any of this nonsense of you paying. No way. You inspired me to follow my dreams and you serve the Republic I love more than anything else. I insist that you and your friends come aboard right away." Anakin looked back to Kenobi who nodded his head in agreement.

"Very well then, Owen. We'll come aboard." The young freighter pilot was full of smiles as the two Jedi and the Queen stepped aboard and strapped themselves in. Within minutes of their arrival, the ship began to lurch and enter into the outer atmosphere of Coruscant.

They reached a steady cruising speed as they made their way toward the first Republican fueling stations orbiting around the planet. Owen Lars stepped back and mingled with his guests. "…my father wanted to be a moisture farmer." Anakin smiled, he felt on familiar ground with this pilot. They were hitting off quite nicely.

"What happened?"

"I wanted to get off that blasted world…you can appreciate that?" Skywalker nodded his head. "If I may ask, what exactly are two Jedi doing on a civilian freighter?" Kenobi grew serious but Anakin shot him a look saying it was all right. Owen Lars seemed to be a trustworthy man trying to make his way in the galaxy..

"We're trying to avoid calling too much attention to ourselves."

"These are dangerous times, even for the Jedi. What with the Separatist threat and everything that's been going on…"

"Have they reached Tatooine?"

"They started agitating there about two years ago. It's not surprising. The Separatists can't stand the Bounty Hunter's Guild or the Hutts. They think the Republic could do more to assert its authority on the Outer Rim."

"Easier said than done Owen. The Republic can't afford to start a fight with the Hutts when they've got Separatists breathing down their necks."

"I didn't say they were right, but that's how a lot of folks feel." Padmé Amidala spoke up suddenly.

"So how is it that you're so loyal to the Republic? It's odd to find that so far out of the Core." Owen passed his hand through his hair as he replied.

"My father was a commander in the Republican army before he started his farm." The three passengers listened intently to the story. "Cliegg…he was born and raised on Tatooine near the Jundland Wastes….but my grandfather was a transplanted Alderaani who fell in love with the daughter of a local trader and moisture farmer. So we had the best of both worlds growing up. I appreciated the independent spirit of the Outer Rim Territories but I also was raised on the stories of the Great Hyperspace Wars and the Old Sith Wars…and how great were the ideals of the Republic…I grew up with a profound love for Alderaan…stories of Theed Palace." Padmé smiled to herself. If only this pilot knew who she was, he would be even more star struck than when he met Anakin. "Anyway…it wasn't all that surprising when my father left Tatooine and joined the service. You had to be eighteen, but he lied…he signed up when he was sixteen…"

"Where did he serve Owen?" asked Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"Oh…he fought pirates for a while. Pulled some crazy stunts near Nal Hutta. Swung back around and led the relief operations near Yavin IV." Kenobi's eyes widened upon hearing the name of that world.

"So he fought alongside the Jedi Knights?"

"Yeah he did…served for a long time. We're talking about thirty or forty years ago. Yeah that sounds right. At the end of his career, just before he made it back home…Cliegg fought the army of that crazy Sith Lord…what was his name again?" Anakin finished the sentence.

"Plagueis?"

"Yeah…crazy stories he told us about that guy when we were growing up as kids. Said if we didn't behave Darth Plagueis would come and take us away while we slept." Kenobi's curiosity was piqued now.

"What kind of stories did he tell you?"

"Well, his commanding officer was a big time Jedi Master. She was a Togruta…tough woman…he told me you never wanted to get her angry." Obi-Wan's heart fell to his stomach. He knew the story, but to hear it from the son of a Republican veteran was something else entirely. Anakin sensed his master's discomfort. "This Jedi was a no-nonsense woman. But the troops respected her a lot. They would follow her from one end of the galaxy to another. That's how much authority and respect she commanded. Anyway, my father thought that it was impossible for this Jedi to have anything on the side. She was dedicated to her troops but rarely showed any kind of feelings or emotions. I mean she was on the Jedi Council, very involved in politics and the military…no one thought she had any time for a private life."

"He saw something that told him different?" Kenobi asked with baited breath.

"Yes…" Owen paused to clear his throat. "…He was taking a break near one of their forts. This was before the big battle at Dantooine…he saw her from a distance. She was holding hands with a younger Jedi at her side. They were looking at the stars and talking. Now you have to understand, all my father ever saw from this woman was her as this tough military leader. I think she was the last Jedi to hold the title of general in the Republican army. He saw her so relaxed. Just walking up and down the perimeter with this young human at her side…the rest of the troops knew…but they never let on…Jedi don't get much time to relax…they were protective of the general's privacy."

"Do you remember the name of the younger Jedi she was with?"

"I think father mentioned it once in passing…I wonder where that guy is now? They had some good stories about him too. He's the one they say who killed Plagueis." Kenobi leaned back and closed his eyes as Owen Lars moved on to another subject. He was lost in thought as if someone had plunged a dagger through his heart twenty times over. After a while Owen left them. Eventually Padmé fell asleep, leaving only Anakin there starting pensively out of a small porthole. The younger Jedi spoke up.

"It's funny how the Force works don't you think?"

"Tell me about it. This guy's father knew Qui-Gon, he saw your podrace." Anakin felt a bit uncomfortable.

"It's the will of the Force that we ran into him." Obi-Wan Kenobi nodded his head in silence. He didn't want to talk about this anymore. Kenobi changed the subject to more pressing matters.

"Where do you think we should debark?"

"Honestly, I think Tatooine might be safest."

"That's uncomfortably close to Geonosis…."  
"It might fool Jango Fett. I mean look at it from his perspective, would two Jedi Knights you had cornered on one planet go to the system right next door?"

"True." Kenobi sensed a tremor of fear emanating from his apprentice. "What is it? Relax…we're going to make it through."

"You really don't get it do you?"

"What am I missing Anakin?" Skywalker let out a sigh filled with anxiety.

"Fett won't stop until she's dead. He's the best bounty hunter in the galaxy for a reason. We might be able to fool him for a little bit, but we have to prepare for the eventuality that he will cross paths with us."

"But that's not the only thing that has you worried?"  
"Ben, I don't think he's working alone. I felt a different presence watching our every move as we made our way through the streets and slums back there…"

"What kind of presence?"

"It was cold…barren…merciless."

"You think it's a Sith?"

"No, whoever it was had some training in the Dark Side…but they aren't fully trained as a Sith."

"Maybe Sidious found a new apprentice." Anakin shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't like it Ben. I have a bad feeling about this." Kenobi nodded.

"Me too."

Jango Fett was furious about the day's events. Flying aboard _Slave I_ , he was ready to butcher his accomplice. Her thin frame entered the cockpit and stood beside him silently.

"You're a fool."

"Am I? Without me you would have no knowledge of where they would take the Queen." He waved his hand away in disgust and slowly lifted his Mandalorian helmet off of his head exposing his scarred face. He passed his hands through his closely cropped hair.

"Skywalker detected your Force-signature. That means he knows I am not working alone on this job. If Sidious were here he would kill you." She let out a mocking laugh as she sat down across from him.

"No, my friend…if Sidious were here he would reward me and excoriate you for your ill-timed attack. Did you really think those missiles were going to wipe her out? And right in front of the bloody Jedi Temple, what were you thinking Fett?" He slammed his fists down hard on his chair and stood up approaching the woman. Fett shoved his finger toward her face menacingly.

"Listen to me…if we're going to work together…we are going to do it my way or not at all. Do you understand me?" She remained silent as he continued. " _You_ were supposed to get the Queen…"

"She ran into that crowd of protestors alongside Skywalker…there wasn't a clear shot…and I wasn't about to reveal myself in broad daylight in front of the troopers and police who were gathering to inspect the mess you made." Fett scoffed at her convenient excuses and turned away in disgust. He plopped back in his seat starting out into space. She slowly came behind him and rubbed his shoulders gently.

"Get away from me…" She didn't stop. She could feel him relaxing ever so slightly.

"You don't mean that Jango."

"Yeah well…a fine job we did today…"

"Ah, so now you accept some responsibility…" He started tensing up.

"Don't start this again…" She thought better of making another snide comment but continued rubbing his shoulders. A few minutes passed in perfect silence. She stopped massaging him and leaned in gently kissing his neck. He leaned back against her. They were an odd couple by any standards, but they cared for each other. Was it love? No one was quite sure, but they had grown closer over the past few months as they butchered senators who stood in their path.

"We'll cut them off at Tatooine my love."

"How can you be so sure that they are going there? It's too close to Geonosis…it would be foolish on their part."

"Precisely Jango…it's where we would least expect them to go. But it's in the trajectory of that freighter."

"Why not strike at them when they reach Dantooine, isn't that an earlier stop for them?"

"Yes…but we need them to relax…to lower their guard so that they won't see us coming next time."

"I tried this once before for Sidious and I got burned. What's going make this time any different?"

"Come now…he rewarded you handsomely even though you lost them."

"Still can't believe he can still stomach working with those Federation types, cowards the whole of them…money hungry cowards…" She smirked at the blatant hypocrisy on display before her.

"And what are you _bounty hunter_? An altruistic citizen doing his duty?" He laughed at the thought.

"I never said I was. But at least I don't run away from a fight. I stay and finish the job till it's done or I am dead." She held him close to her body.

"That's what I like about you Jango…you're a man who knows what he wants."

"Yeah…" He paused for a moment waiting for her to say something more but it never came. "Get strapped in. They're making the jump to lightspeed."

"Very well then."

"You had better be right about this…" He punched in the coordinates for Tatooine and readied the ship for lightspeed.

"We won't fail this time…I promise." They said nothing more as the ship blasted into hyperspace.


	2. A Hero with No Fear

**Chapter 2: A Hero with No Fear**

Obi-Wan Kenobi stared intently as his apprentice as he began to practice with three remotes orbiting around him. Padmé Amidala was staring at the two practicing. They had reached a stable cruising speed as they made their way through hyperspace. The younger Jedi raised his lightsaber up and ignited it. On his belt still clung Qui-Gon Jinn's lightsaber, but Anakin no longer relied on it. He has his own which was simple in its own way—sporting a light blue blade. He did not add any frills or additions to the blade and he had no interest in forging a double-sided blade (though some Jedi in the past had fought in that style). He was direct, a man of action and nobility. Many commented on the fact that Anakin was the definition of the "noble padawan"—one who would risk his life regardless of the cost but who always upheld honor and devotion as his guiding principles. He was not unaware of what they called him in the corridors and alcoves of the Jedi Temple—he was beginning to earn a new name—the "Hero with No Fear." Obi-Wan Kenobi's voiced pierced the gentle hum of the _Jundland Bay_.

"Remember, a Jedi's strength…"

"…flows from the Force." Anakin finished the well-worn sentence. His master smiled.

"Easy Anakin, you can do this." The young man didn't seem so thrilled about practicing. But he grit his teeth as the remotes activated and began swishing around him. He leaned forward and deflected one shot and then another. But he had forgotten about the third which struck him hard in the thigh. He grunted out loudly in pain as he extinguished his blade.

"I can't do it Ben." Anakin limped away and took a seat near Padmé. She said nothing, only observing the exchange between both men. Obi-Wan's faced softened from that of a mentor guiding a student to that of a concerned friend.

"What's the matter?"

"I just don't think I am ever going to figure out how to use a lightsaber properly. I mean how can I be the Jedi Knight everyone says I am supposed to be if I can't even deal with remotes?" Kenobi sat down next to him and smiled.

"Being a Jedi Knight isn't about how good your lightsaber technique is. It's about letting the Force speak to you and responding in kind." He paused for a moment letting that information sink in. "You spend too much time trying to figure out in your head 'What's the next strike I am going to make?' when the question you really should be asking yourself is 'What is the Force trying to tell me?'" Anakin seemed a bit discouraged. He was hunched over. Padmé had never seen a Jedi so discouraged. _They really were normal people like anyone else struggling with the same emotions and failures that everyone else in the galaxy had to cope with_ , she thought to herself. Finally, Skywalker spoke up.

"That's easy for you to say Ben. I mean look at you…you took on Darth Maul...I've seen you fight….Force knows I've fought duels with you myself…and I see that I'll never be like you. I'll never be as good as you." Kenobi saw that his tactic was not working—that his message was not reaching the younger Jedi. He decided to use a different example.

"Look at Yoda."

"What about him?"

"Would you say that he is a great Jedi?" Anakin chuckled almost matter-of-factly.

"Of course!"

"Do you ever see him using a lightsaber?" That question stopped Anakin in his tracks.

"No." Kenobi smiled.

"You see?" The older Jedi paused as Anakin's eyes widened a bit with understanding. "Being a Jedi is about…" he moved his hands up in to his mind "…centering yourself and listening what the Force has to tell us. It's about your mind…" he moved his hand down pointing toward his chest "it's about your heart as well." Gripping the hilt of his own lightsaber, Kenobi brought it up close to Anakin as he continued the lesson. "This…is a tool. That's all it is. We are not defined by the weapons we use or how we wield them. Rather, we are defined by how well we master the Living Force that binds the galaxy together." He paused as he noticed a small smile emerging on his apprentice's face. "Learn the ways of the Force Anakin…open your heart to it…let it penetrate your very soul…and I guarantee you that no one will be able to stand in your way. When you learn to do that—then you will truly be a Jedi Knight." The young man nodded his head finally grasping what his master was saying. Suddenly, a look of determination came over him. Padmé noticed the change—indeed she felt it. Her Force-sensitivity was only growing stronger the more time she spent with the Jedi. He stood up and said to Obi-Wan.

"Let's try it again."

"That's my boy." He had a wide smile as he taunted his master a bit.

"Come on old man! Throw them at me." Obi-Wan threw the three remotes into the air and instantly they activated. Anakin was about to raise his blade. He paused and then a thought came into his mind. "Wait a minute Ben…" He turned to the Queen approaching her. "My Lady, perhaps you might be so kind as to allow me to borrow your sash for a moment." It took all of Padmé's strength not to blush as the request. Something within her said to acquiesce to him. She understood what he wanted. She gently removed it from her tunic and held it toward him. He smiled back at her. "I need you to do honors so that we can all make sure that I don't see a thing." She stepped behind him and tightened the makeshift blindfold then stepped back to watch what would happen. "Thank you. Ben, you may begin the lesson."

Kenobi pressed a button activating the remotes which swished around Anakin in menacing circles. Swiftly the young Jedi ignited his blue lightsaber and stood like a sentinel guarding his post. The remotes fired at random and Anakin didn't miss a single hit, deflecting one to the left and another to the right finally bringing his blade down hard and slicing the third one clean in half. He then extinguished his blade and removed the blindfold from him.

"So, how'd I do that time?" Kenobi and Padmé were amazed by what he did. All they could do was applaud and share smiles with him as he ostentatiously bowed before their adulation. Something else stirred inside of her. Of course she shared Obi-Wan's excitement at Anakin's success with the remotes. But that wasn't the only thing on her mind. Her mind raced back to the last time she saw him. He was a humble former slave then who had just learned he was to be trained as a Jedi. Their eyes had met briefly then. An unspoken connection had made a ripple in the Force. She found herself incredibly attracted to this dashing yet humble Jedi-in-training. Now she understood why—they had begun to bond wordlessly through the Force. Bonds like those could only strengthen over time. Yet she pushed these thoughts out of her mind. She could not love another Jedi—she could not risk their lives any more than she was risking hers. It was simply too dangerous of a time to fall in love. Nevertheless, she felt something there…something she couldn't quite put her finger on. The feeling lingered and would not go away. And though he covered it very well in a moment of triumph—Anakin Skywalker could feel her thoughts as well—he knew well because he shared them.

* * *

In a dwarf galaxy that formed part of Wild Space, another Force-user felt that brief ripple passing between the Queen and the Padawan. Count Dooku smiled to himself as he stared out the side of a large complex of towers overlooking the thunderous oceans of Kamino. Senator Bail Organa stood beside him as they talked in brightly lit white room filled with computers overlooking the main staging area for the Republic's burgeoning army of clone troopers. He let go of the profound feeling he had just felt and turned to face his colleague. Ostensibly they were here to attempt to convince the government of Kamino to join the Separatist movement. In actuality, Dooku and Organa were conducting a highly secretive investigation of the entire clone trooper project. Dooku had officially left the Jedi Order. Unofficially, however, he retained his seat on the Council reporting directly to his former mentor—Yoda. What they had found at Kamino was disturbing to say the least.

Dooku tried to think of better times to make what they were uncovering at Kamino less terrifying than it really was. He thought of his best student—Qui-Gon Jinn. The man wasn't just a student but his friend. Jinn's death at the hands of Darth Maul weighed heavily on Dooku's conscience. It was that event that triggered his "departure" from the Order. He went rogue, disappearing for months at a time as he began to hunt down any leads that could help him find Sidious. These thoughts stopped in his tracks. Dooku started feeling cold. He would be lying to himself if he said he didn't think of vengeance when it came to Qui-Gon Jinn. Vengeance was not the Jedi way. But Dooku didn't care. It might cost him his soul, but he would find Sidious and take his revenge.

Another series of thoughts entered into his mind clashing with his desire to kill the Sith Lord. _He saw himself as a young teenager using his newly built lightsaber with its distinctive curved hilt. A familiar warm voice spoke to him as he trained. He had no beard, but a head of brown hair and light gray robes. Six remotes orbited around him as the slightly younger voice of Yoda instructed him._

 _"Yes Dooku…your technique is good. Blades nothing serve if not for the Force." The younger Dooku smiled. his long padawan braid moving swiftly as he lunged against the remote droids. Within minutes all six were scattered in pieces across the floor._

 _"How was that master?"_

 _"Good. Very good." Yoda moved away and Dooku faced him._

 _Master are the rumors true?" Yoda's eyes widened._

 _"Speak freely you must Dooku." The young teen grew nervous. But he spoke up nonetheless._

 _"You fought the Sith on many occasions. Yet I've never seen you use a lightsaber before. How did you fight them?" Yoda gave one of his typical chuckles as he moved slowly toward his padawan._

 _"Know how to duel with a lightsaber I do," he smiled as he looked up at the taller boy's eyes. "For seven hundred years, choose to fight with one I have not." Dooku realized his mouth was hanging open almost certainly making him look like a fool. But his master did not notice as he continued speaking. "Fought worse than the Sith I have. Fought the Witches of Dathomir…the Nightsisters…I did in my youth. The Force alone was my ally in those fights. One day learn you will what the true nature of the Force is young Dooku."_

Dooku savored the memory of his master's greatest lesson. But before he could be too distracted, the present circumstances brought him back to reality. He heard a voice calling out to him. It was Bail,

"Dooku! Look at this! Dooku?" Finally, the former Jedi Master turned to face the senator from Alderaan. Bail shifted in his seat as he tried to digest the mounds of data that both of them had been searching through. He had aged gracefully. He was still quite dapper with his tanned skin and piercing eyes, but he sported much shorter hair than he had a decade earlier. By now, he had become an even more seasoned political operative and one of the most respected senators in the Republic. Dooku had aged significantly in the intervening time. Nearing his eighties, he still managed to carry himself upright, but he let his thick white beard grow a bit wildly to accentuate his "break" from the Jedi. He still sported the familiar black-styled suit, but wore a red sash around his chest—the symbol of the Separatist Movement he was attempting to forge into a viable political force for change in the galaxy. Dooku glanced at the data pad that Bail was looking at and finally responded to him.

"This army was first created almost thirty years ago."

"Long before the Separatists were even a threat," he laughed uncomfortably. "Long before they even existed." Dooku nodded his head.

"Sifo-Dyas placed this order. I knew him well. We were very close friends Bail." He paused as he looked at more data pads and then threw one down hard on the table. "I am positive he had nothing to do with this. This order was placed around the same time he died on a mission to Yavin IV…no one could ever prove it…but I am positive Darth Plagueis killed him." Organa buried his head in his hands.

"The Sith Lord is dead for so long and yet his poisonous legacy torments us still."

"Be happy that you never met him face-to-face…he was truly terrifying."

"You know we can't trust these cloners?"

"Evidently, the Minister of Defense thinks otherwise." Bail rolled his eyes scoffing as he spoke.

"Palpatine is a self-serving bureaucrat. The furthest thing from his mind is a peaceful solution to this conflict."

"That may be true, but he has a point. Neither you nor I have total control over the Separatists. This Jango Fett business is making our side look weak and chaotic. It's feeding into Paplatine's militarism and making his positions more and more palatable to the mass of the Republic's citizens."

"Which is why this is too convenient Dooku. A clone army just happens to be ready decades ahead of schedule…ordered for a conflict that no one dreamed could happen… at the same time as the Jedi are fighting a massive battle against Plagueis? It's all too convenient to be a coincidence." Dooku sighed. In his heart he agreed with Bail Organa. The implications of all this information pointed toward only one logical conclusion—one that cast a pall over the Republic's future.

"This is all very well-orchestrated. I feel the hand of Sidious infecting all of this."

"We haven't heard from him since you and I saw him in my palace."

"You'll recall he escaped and was very much alive. He held back his power. Sidious could've taken multiple Jedi down with him if he had chosen to do so. But he held back…I felt it as we fought him."

"To what end Dooku? If he could have finished with us then, why didn't he?" That was a very good question. One for which Dooku could find no answers.

"He wanted to test our defenses then…as a setup for this manufactured conflict. There's not a doubt in my mind that he has thoroughly infiltrated several Separatist factions. I'd venture to say that he is the true power behind the throne." Bail Organa's eyes widened as a palpable fear settled uncomfortably within him.

"He's killing senators off one by one…he hired Fett…which means…"

"…that Sidious is the one who put the price on your sister's head." Bail fretted nervously trying to contain his feelings. Dooku sat next to him and looked him squarely in the face. "Two of the very best Jedi we have to offer are with her for protection. I am sure everything will be all right."

* * *

As it pulled out of hyperspace, the _Jundland Bay_ saw a terrifying scene overlooking the planet of Dantooine. Hundreds of heavily armed battlecruisers patrolled the system each of them flanked by a compliment of frigates and even larger numbers of starfighters in highly organized formations protecting the capital ships. There was a palpable sense of fear among the crew of the _Jundland Bay_ , but Anakin Skywalker was anything but afraid. Owen looked back from the controls to the Jedi.

"From the looks of those markings…those are Separatists ships. This is crazy…they look like they're getting ready for war." Kenobi spoke up.

"That's because they are Owen." Suddenly, a transmission broke through the silent hum of the vessel.

 _"Unidentified ship you have entered Confederacy space. Do not deviate from your current course and state your business."_ Owen didn't know hot respond. Anakin stepped forward.

"Let me take over….all right?"

"I hope you know what you're doing Anakin," said Owen somewhat nervously. Anakin merely smiled.

"Me too." That response didn't sit well with any of the others aboard the cockpit. "I'd advise you all to take your seats and strap yourselves in." Padmé, Owen, and Obi-Wan sat down. Owen took over controls next to Anakin. The young Jedi padawan flipped a switch and sent a transmission back to the Separatists. "This is the _Jundland Bay_ , a small freighter, we're just delivering parts, some scrap metal and the like for some friends of ours on Dantooine. We request to permission to pass through and land." A few moments passed before the response came over the comm.

 _"We have orders to inspect every ship in the region no exceptions. Suspicious activity has been reported in this sector. Prepare to be boarded."_ Everyone else gulped but Anakin Skywalker just smiled with a look of excitement on his face.

"Oh no," Obi-Wan spoke up with a mix of anticipation and nervousness. "Anakin, don't do this."

"Do what Ben?" He gave a small wink to his master and then sent a follow-up back to the Separatists. "Look, we know you have to follow protocol but if we can avoid being boarded that would be better for my friends and for your pockets. Truth is I'm a navigator here, and we're carrying spice aboard this freighter. That's contraband in Republican space. But I don't need to tell you that. If you don't board us I'll give you have of the spice we have on board. Do we have a deal?" There was silence on the other end as everything waited to see what would happen. Owen spoke up.

"What do we do if they don't go for this?" Anakin gripped the controls hard.

"Then get ready for all hell to break loose." The comm spurred to life again.

 _"We read you…We still have to board your ship take on some of your cargo as payment for your passage to Dantooine. Standby."_ If they were boarded, they were going to have a lot of explaining to do. Though Anakin's ruse worked, it was a pyrrhic victory. They couldn't be boarded—not with the Jedi and the Queen aboarded. Anakin's face hardened a bit as he gripped the controls hard.

"Owen what are the weapon's systems like on this?"

"Frontal blasters, standard turrets on the sides…"

"You have torpedoes?"

"Yeah. I modified the ship a bit in case we ever ran into trouble."

"Well we're running into it now." He turned to Kenobi and Padmé.

"Ben I need you to man one of the turrets…you too Padmé." She nodded her head in agreement not saying a word. "Is your crew strapped in Owen?" He shook his head.

"Sure…Hey…what do you want me to do?"

"Hang tight and follow my lead…You said I inspired you to be a pilot right?"

"Yeah."

"Let's see how inspirational I really was." Without saying anything else, Anakin shouted out orders. "Put all power to the deflector shields and get us to go as fast as possible. I need manual control of the ship's navigation…can you do that?" Owen nodded his head. "Do it now!" Over the comm he could hear Kenobi's voice.

 _"I'm ready in the turret…"_ Then Padmé's voice trickled in shortly after.

 _"Me too…"_

"All right. Let's do this." The ship blasted full-speed toward a group of twenty battlecruisers. The transmitter went crazy as the Separatists ordered the ship to stand down.

 _"Jundland Bay! Do not attempt to run this blockade or you will be fired upon! Do you copy?"_ Anakin Skywalker only said one thing to them before he began his attack.

"Fire away!" The young Jedi closed his eyes almost as if he was in meditation and ran headlong into the closest capital ship. It began pummeling the _Jundland Bay_ but to no avail as the vessel spun around wildly darting a breakneck speed. Anakin launched a salvo of torpedoes which ripped right through the bridge of the incoming ship. Rather than pulling up from the explosion he dove right through it coming out unscathed. Large numbers of droid fighters coalesced around the ship but Obi-Wan and Padmé kept up a steady stream of cover fire from their turrets as Anakin weaved in and out several more frigates littering them with blaster fire and another round of torpedoes.

Owen Lars had been impressed when he saw the Jedi as a teenaged slave winning a race against Sebulba. What he was seeing in front of his now was entirely different. The _Jundland Bay_ was singlehandedly devastating a massive fleet with more firepower than it could ever muster and Anakin Skywalker made it look effortless as he darted in and out doing a wild combination of flips, barrel rolls, and sharp turns in between frigates and fighters alike. A large group of droid fighters went right after the ship but Anakin was too quick for them and tore right through them as he headed closer to the atmosphere. Owen shouted at him.

"We're coming in too fast Anakin! We're going to burn up in Dantooine's atmosphere!"

"I can't slow down Owen, if I do they'll get a lock on us and we'll be as good as dead. Do you trust me?"

"Do I have choice?"

"Not really."

"Yes…Yes! I trust you! Just get us through this alive!" Anakin nodded his head, Owen was panicked but he was sincere. The young Jedi used the Force to guide the ship through the atmosphere. The pursuing ships couldn't keep up with him as the _Jundland Bay_ blasted toward the ground at breakneck speed. He dove down hugging the coastline. The water did not look attractive at all from Owen's point of view. Anakin spoke up to the rest of the crew.

"Get ready! It's going to be a little rough!" Suddenly there was a lurch as the ship touched down sliding across an empty field of grass and providing a mild annoyance to a roaming herd of Bantha. They slid down hard and saw a group of cliffs and hills approaching them. Before they made it too close to the jagged edge of the valley, the ship finally stopped. Owen Lars let out a sigh of relief and then started whooping and hollering loudly over the comm system. Anakin simply unbuckled his belt and said in a matter of fact sort of way.

"Well that was another happy landing!"

* * *

They scurried out and took a look at the damages to the _Jundland Bay_. They had made it through the blockade but had to do a crash landing. Owen Lars's ship had definitely seen better days. While Owen and his crew tried to assess the damages, Obi-Wan Kenobi paced back and forth in the distance. Anakin moved closer to his master.

"Even if the _Jundland Bay_ is still functional…we can't risk running through that blockade again," Kenobi said as Anakin sat on a pile of rocks by him.

"That's not what's worrying you though is it?" Kenobi nodded his head. "Look I am sorry if I went a little crazy up there…that's just how I do things Ben…" Obi-Wan smiled.

"No it's not that at all. Your methods may fly in the face of what the Council wants…but you get the job done and your heart is in the right place. Force knows you're the best star pilot in the galaxy Anakin." He paused for a moment looking up at the blips of light in the sky that were the only evidence of a gigantic attack fleet looming ominously above them. "No, it's the fact that the Separatists are so heavily militarized. And they were on the lookout for us."

"This all goes back to Jango Fett and that Sith acolyte he has with him…I can feel it so clearly Ben…it's them."

"Unfortunately, I think you're right."

"How are we going to get out of this mess? They won't fall for a stunt like that again."

"I'm not sure yet. In either case, we need to warn the Republic about this fleet. Ackbar and Windu need to know about this. We aren't even close to being ready to fight it out with those ships. So much for avoiding a civil war…" Kenobi patted his apprentice's back and walked back toward the fire leaving Anakin along with his thoughts. He stared out at the shoreline and heard a rustling behind him. It was Padmé Amidala.

"My Lady," he bowed his head a bit as she approached him. She waved her hand dismissively.

"I think we can dispense with the formalities don't you?" He smiled a bit and looked back at the ocean.

"Sure…Padmé." It came almost naturally to him to say her name like that. She moved closer to him.

"What you did up there was amazing."

"It was nothing really. My job is to protect you, I did that." She felt drawn to him, but didn't know how to put it into words.

"I can't figure you out yet." He laughed. Though he was also drawn to her, his mind was elsewhere. Obi-Wan Kenobi was a skilled with a lightsaber, but the tactical side was always Anakin's forte. And right now, he had no idea how they would get themselves out of here without attracting anymore Separatist attention than they already had. Padmé was going to say something more when Owen Lars interrupted them.

"The ship can take off Anakin, but our sub-light engines took a beating when we were going through that fleet."

"Which means we can make the jump into lightspeed but not much else."

"Right." Anakin through a small pebble out into the sea in frustration.

"Prep her for take-off and let's see what we can do." They all turned around to go toward the ship when large amounts of blaster fire rained down upon them. "Duck!" Anakin pulled Padmé down to the ground shielding her with his body. Owen got down too, training his blaster up to the skies trying to figure out who was firing at them, He could feel her breathing growing tense as the fire continued unabated. Somehow the blaster fire managed not to him them. The two ran toward the fire. Owen's blaster was drawn as was Kenobi's lightsaber. Suddenly more fire rained down upon them from the sky. Anakin gave Padmé a blaster and she trained it above her. He ignited his blade and looked up at the sky, searching for the source of the incoming fire. Finally, he saw a familiar rocket figure flying down with two blasters in his hand his jetpack lowering him down slowly to the ground. He wore Mandalorian armor. Next to him was a thin woman dressed in black with what seemed like a permanent scowl on her face. She ignited two red lightsabers and looked at Padmé menacingly. Jango Fett kept his blasters trained on the two Jedi.

"How long did you think it was going to take us to find you? It was clear that you were headed to Tatooine, but I never expected you to run the blockade like that. Foolish move if you ask me."

"No one's asking your opinion Fett," warned Anakin as he faced the dreaded bounty hunter.

"Oh where are my manners?" He said with a fake sense of nobility. "I've been rather rude haven't I? Allow me to introduce my counterpart…Asajj Ventress." Her head was shaven and she had icy piercing eyes. Anakin Skywalker realized who and what she was.

"You're no Sith, you're a Nightsister." Ventress spoke up.

"It appears that not all the Jedi are total fools Jango…Very good boy. You know who I am, which means you know what I'm capable of." Kenobi gave a grunt of annoyance as he pointed his lightsaber at her.

"What do you want?" Fett took a small step forward.

"Why Master Kenobi, we only come to give you a small proposal." The two Jedi along with Owen and his crewmembers formed a protective circle hugging tightly to Padmé who kept her gaze aimed straight at Ventress's direction. "It's obvious that you have no hope of escaping our formidable fleet…so we will guarantee you Jedi and your friends safe passage…" Anakin Skywalker smelled a trap as he spoke up.

"In exchange for what?"

"Turn over Queen Amidala to our custody." Kenobi was going to speak, but he sensed great tension in Anakin as he responded in kind.

"Forget this!" He lifted up his blade high in preparation to attack, "You want her, you going to have to get through me." Fett looked at Ventress then back at the Jedi.

"We were hoping you would say that."

* * *

Suddenly, there was a great disturbance in the Force. Up in the skies above them there were sparkles mixed in with flashes of light. Anakin spoke to Kenobi through the Force.

 _"It's Ackbar…I can feel it…but how did they know we were even here?"_ Kenobi smiled.

 _"Dooku sensed our distress, he's the only one I know who's capable of sensing individuals through the Force this far away from him!"_ They didn't have much time to savor the miracle that has just taken place as Jango Fett and Ventress moved to confront them.

"Ben…take the bounty hunter. The Nightsister is mine!" Obi-Wan spoke up.

"You sure?"

"Positive." Kenobi nodded his head as he moved closer to Jango Fett. Ventress taunted Anakin as he raised his blade up defensively.

"Your confidence will be your downfall Skywalker. Your death will be my pathway to becoming a Sith." The young Jedi scoffed at her.

"Sidious will never take you on as an apprentice. He's using you Ventress!"

"We shall see!" She shouted out a mighty battle cry and lunged at him. He raised his blade up blocking her two carefully targeted strikes. On the periphery he could see Jango Fett rocketing into the air as he fired shot after shot at Kenobi. _Where were Owen and Padmé?_

* * *

Meanwhile, space above Dantooine was full of thunderous fire. Captain Gial Ackbar observed his attack of the large Separatist blockade from his flagship, a heavily modified Mon Calamari cruiser— _Gold Seven._ His Republican fleet was a mix of two heavy capital ships—the Calamarian cruisers and a prototype ship that had just started being deployed— _Venator_ -class Star Destroyers. Droid fighters began swarming around _Gold Seven's_ hull, but Ackbar sat back calmly in his chair. Count Dooku and Bail Organa had sent his fleet a priority message urging them to head directly to Dantooine to protect Queen Amidala. They had made it just in time, but the Mon Calamarian was still worried. Lieutenant Raymus Antilles came to him, the Alderaani stood at attention awaiting Ackbar's orders.

"Report Lieutenant."

"Our scanners indicate that our fleeting is holding out well. We've heard no word from the Northern Battle Group yet, we believe they are still chasing down Separatist pirates near Sullust."

"They still have numerical superiority over us, don't they?"

"I'm afraid so sir." Ackbar moved his arm close to his head as he looked out from the main viewing of the deck of his vessel.

"We have to give the Jedi more time to get the Queen off world."

"They should've made contact by now…it doesn't make sense."

"Unless they are detained by someone."

"Jango Fett would be foolish to pull something like that, it's reckless!"

"But it fits his modus operandi Lieutenant." Their conversation was cut short as a small explosion rocked _Gold Seven_. "Man your battle stations Lieutenant, order all hands on deck and instruct all pilots to get to their starfighters immediately. We must do our part." Antilles nodded his head and moved away. Ackbar sat down and moved his chair toward the front of his view screen. He spoke into his comm. "Target the droid control ship in the center. I want that ship eliminated! Full speed ahead!"

 _Gold Seven_ blasted ahead with several Star Destroyers flanking it as it moved closer to a large array of capital ships. They began to exchange heavy fire as explosions rocked each of the battlecruisers. Droid fighters intermingled their fire with Republican Y Wing fighters which began to shoot them down quickly. The battle became ferocious. Ackbar sat back as it intensified. It was anybody's guess who would win this test of wills. His only hope was that the Jedi would do their duty before either side had time to blink.

* * *

Anakin realized why he couldn't find Owen and Padmé. They were providing cover fire to the Jedi as hundreds of destroyer droids marched up the hillside. Fett had been prepared. He fired another barrage at Kenobi who deflected each shot and leapt up into the air kicking squarely in his chest. Owen stood back to back with Padmé a worried look on his face.

"There are too many of them!"

"We have to keep fighting we can't let them get to the Jedi!" She shouted back to him. Suddenly a seriously of mortal groans let out in the clearing nearby them as the droids made short work of Owen's crewmen killing them quickly. He didn't give himself time to grieve. His father's blood ran through his veins.

"It's just the two of us now my Lady!"

"Then let's make it count." Through the Force she could send Anakin struggling with Ventress.

* * *

The Nightsister hissed at the young Jedi.

"You can't win Skywalker!"

"Oh yeah? Watch me!" He struck her hard pushing her back as their blades clashed. They held each other at bay for a moment each gritting their teeth as they pushed against each other.

"Even if you manage to strike us down…there are too many destroyer droids. You and everyone you love will die!" Then she hastened to add something more sinister. "Give in to your hatred Anakin…your Jedi skills are no match for me!" She kicked him hard as he flew backward. She leapt up and struck down hard but he quickly blocked her. He turned off his blade and Force-pushed her back then charged her slamming his body hard into hers. Anakin was about to level a fatal blow against her when blaster fire struck his shoulder. It was Jango Fett.

"You'd do well to stay away from her boy!" He felt what Fett's desire to protect Ventress. The two of them had very strong feelings for each other. He kept his blaster trained on Skywalker's chest. "Put the lightsaber down…slowly." Asajj Ventress smiled. But Anakin didn't move from his position but kept his blue blade aimed at her neck. The pain in his shoulder was unimaginable, but he had to fight through it. Anakin had to protect the Queen.

"No! Lower your blaster or I kill her."

"You're bluffing, you're a Jedi…your Order doesn't operate that way."

"Don't try me Fett!" His eyes were serious. From behind Fett came a powerful yell as Obi-Wan slammed into him, knocking his blaster to the floor as the two began wrestling in the grass. Ventress saw her chance and ignited her blades tripping Anakin. She loomed over him and stabbed him repeatedly. Each time she missed her mark. Finally she kicked his lightersaber out of his hands.

"Finally, we seem to be in the same position as before Skywalker. What a pity. I was hoping to see you in action." Ventress prepared to strike down when she let out a blood-cringing yell as she felt the potent sting of a lightsaber blade pierce through her back. A voice echoed from behind her.

"Get away from him!" It was Padmé she had recovered Anakin's lightsaber and was wielding it clumsily but with some small degree of poise. Anakin grabbed hold of his other lightsaber igniting its green blade and getting up to his feet. Ventress cackled loudly.

"So, Queen Amidala is a padawan? This is an interesting surprise." Anakin communicated with Padmé through the Force.

 _"She's nervous. Keep up the act. If she believes you are a Jedi it will make it harder for her to fight us."_ Padmé swallowed deeply as she called out to him.

"Are you all right master?" He nodded his head.

"I am fine, just a few scratches. Follow my lead Padmé." He guided her thoughts showing him his first move and they lunged as one. Both of their blades clashing with Ventress's. She kicked Padmé in the chest which gave Anakin room to strike her. She parried his blade with both of her red lightsabers. Padmé felt a strange presence inside of her. For months her Force-sensitivity had been getting stronger, but the lightsaber she held in her hand no longer felt like a foreign object to her. She closed her eyes and concentrated trying to remember the lessons Obi-Wan had given to Anakin on the _Jundland Bay_. All of her reason told her that she couldn't do it. But if Anakin believed in her so much, if he fought for her life—then certainly anything was possible. She only needed faith. Without a second thought, Padmé stretched out her hands and managed to Force-push Ventress away from Anakin sending her crumbling near one of the cliffs overlooking the ocean below. Anakin's eyes widened with surprise. _Had she actually done that? It amazed him._ She ran toward him and gave him back his lightsaber.

"I think this is yours," he nodded his hand and gave her Qui-Gon's lightsaber.

"Keep it!" She was going to push it back.

"No…"

"Don't argue with me right now. I want you to keep it. Besides," he paused as Ventress stood up again. "…We're going to need it." He ignited his blade and she did likewise, copying the defensive stance he took as Ventress stood up. She looked to wear Fett and Kenobi had been fighting and saw Kenobi standing erect with his lightsaber held high. The bounty was nowhere to be seen. Where there had been several hundred droids, there was now only scrap metal and rubble. A few moments later and slightly grizzled and sweaty Owen Lars had his blaster trained on her too. "It's over Ventress, you can't win! Surrender now and I promise no harm will come to you." She extinguished her lightsabers and put them away calmly. A menacing smile crossed her face as she moved backward toward the cliff's edge.

"This isn't over Jedi. I promise you that." She jumped backwards and disappeared from their site. Suddenly, _Slave I_ began emerging from one of the nearby cliff faces and launching into space. Anakin turned to Padmé and smiled.

"You know for someone who's never had any training as Jedi, you certainly had me fooled." She put Qui-Gon's blade by her blaster.

"It was nothing. I did what I had to do."

* * *

No sooner had _Slave I_ one departed than the rest of the Separatist fleet followed suit. Badly damaged by their engagement with Ackbar's forces, they felt that they could no longer maintain their position over Dantooine. The _Jundland Bay_ docked in _Gold Seven's_ bay as Captain Ackbar and Lieutenant Antilles greeted the ruffled passengers. Anakin and Obi-Wan bowed to the captain. Ackbar's arms were crossed disapprovingly.

"You two have to be the most troublesome Jedi in the history of the galaxy." Anakin smiled as Kenobi rolled his eyes. It was clear that the younger Jedi thought Ackbar's quip was more of a compliment than anything else. "Everywhere you go destruction and war looms, you want to explain that to me?" Kenobi stepped forward.

"That's what happens when you send us against the Separatists." Ackbar nodded and let a small smile escape from his mouth. He was pleased with the two Jedi Knights standing before him. They had consistently kept their mandate to protect the Queen.

"Anywhere in particular we can take you and your friends?" Anakin spoke up.

"I think it's safe to say that Tatooine is a bad idea now." There was frustration in the young Jedi's voice. "Quite frankly, I'm getting tired of Fett and his cronies always being two steps ahead of us. We need to go someplace they would never think to find us? Someplace where we can lay low….an uninhabited system." An idea struck Kenobi.

"Yavin IV."

"Are you sure Ben?"

"Well, no one lives there. It's a jungle moon with ruined temples…it's still close to where we are…and it's strong in the Dark Side of the Force." Anakin put his head in his hands.

"Are you serious?"

"They'd be crazy to track us there."

"That's not the point Ben! Your idea of safety is to take us to the place where Exar Kun made his last stand…I don't like it." They had all been raised with stories of the Sith since the Dark Lords had reappeared nearly a decade ago. The most powerful Sith Lord of all time was undoubtedly the fallen Jedi—Exar Kun. He was the inventor of the double-bladed lightsaber, a man who was all about theatrics as much as he was about strategy. To free his apprentice, he boldly stormed into the Senate while it was in session, killed the Chancellor of the Republic along with his former Jedi master. He waged unspeakable wars against the Jedi and the Republic and made the Massassi natives of Yavin IV his personal slaves who erected pyramids and large temples in Kun's honor, virtually deifying him as a god. When the Jedi finally cornered him (thanks to his redeemed apprentice), it took several hundred of them working collectively to bind their skills with the Force in order to end his reign of terror. Still the rumors that he lived beyond the grave persisted. He was known to be a master of all the Dark Arts of the Sith, and while the Jedi obliterated his physical form it was popular myth that said that he had managed to free his spiritual form from his crude matter—his flesh. If true, it meant that Exar Kun remained a spectral threat—quite literally a luminous being—who could still wreak havoc to anyone unfortunates who stumbled across the ruined temples of his former glory.

"What choice do we really have Anakin? I don't like it much either. But Republic space is out of the question, you said it yourself…populated settlements make us stick out too much." Anakin sighed, ultimately agreeing with his master's logic.

"All right. But we do it without your fleet." He said this as he turned back to face Ackbar. "We repair the _Jundland Bay_ and then get out of here real quick." Ackbar nodded his head and the group parted ways. Owen Lars went to oversee initial repairs of his ship while Obi-Wan Kenobi went to meditate—leaving Padmé and Anakin alone. He walked away from her exhaling deeply. The Jedi walked with a pronounced limp and small amounts of blood trickled from his waist.

"You're hurt." She said sympathetically as she moved close to him.

"I'll be fine don't worry."

"Don't be so stubborn, you won't with that kind of argument with me." He threw up his hands in resignation.

"What do you propose then?" She smiled.

"At the very least let me accompany to the medical bay. You look like you need a friend." He nodded his head as she helped him to steady his steps as they made their way down to the fourth level of the Mon Calamari cruiser.

* * *

The scratches on his waist were easy to heal. His sore legs were another matter entirely. It would take a few days for the treatments to have their full affect. He had shed his Jedi robes, wearing only his black tunic. She stared at him wearing a simple blue flight suit.

"I knew I was Force-sensitive, but back there on Dantooine…I had never felt that before."

"Maybe I should take you on as my real apprentice." She laughed at the thought as he gave her a wry smirk.

"You're not a knight yet."

"True. But it doesn't mean I don't know how to make use of the Force." There was a silence between them again. He looked away from her nervously. They were communicating without words now. Their Force-signatures were mixed with many emotions. She couldn't contain herself any longer.

"You are one of the bravest persons I know Anakin." He dismissed her with a bit of humor.

"Ben is a far better man than me. He still cares for you deeply…" That stopped her in her tracks for a moment. But the Force was telling her to press forward.

"I have great admiration for Obi-Wan, but he and I are very different people now. The man I knew many years ago, who stole my heart for a brief instant, is not the man I see now. He is battle tested and lives for the Jedi Order alone." Anakin nodded his head.

"He carries much guilt over Qui-Gon's death."

"So do I Anakin. I wish I had gotten hit by Maul…maybe then he'd still be alive." Anakin stood up and moved slowly toward her.

"Don't think like that Padmé. Qui-Gon's death was the will of the Force. It's as simple and as difficult as that." She took a step back inching herself closer to the white metal walls of the medical bay.

"You've saved my life so many times already…" She weighed her words carefully but then went with her feelings as the Force guided her. "…surely there must be a way to repay you?" He raised his hand up.

"It's my duty Padmé. I don't want a reward. Nor do I deserve one. I am honor bound to protect you and give my life for you."

"Are you also bound by your duty to love me?" He took a step back. Anakin had been carefully trying to shield his feelings from her but that approach had apparently failed miserably.

"I don't know what to say."

"Don't say a word, just listen." She paused for a moment taking a deep breath. "When Jango Fett had his blaster aimed at me, I felt your terror…I felt fear in you." He stopped trying to fight his own feelings.

"I wanted to protect you…" She smiled somewhat seriously.

"But there was more to it than that." She leaned her face close to him, so that he could feel her breath mingling with his. There was a palpable nervousness in the room.

"We can't do this," he protested.

"Why, do you want to be on the Council too?" He pulled away from her.

"It's not that."

"Then what is it? Is it me? You can't fathom the thought of being with me is that what it is?" He slammed his down hard on one of the counters.

"NO!" He exhaled as she grabbed his shoulders gently and turned him around.

"It's okay…"

"You are the furthest thing away from me Padmé. You are a queen of noble birth. Look at me, all I am is a former slave from the backwater who isn't even a Jedi Knight yet…I am not worthy to be with you." She was stung by his words, but then that feeling melted away as she embraced his neck and kissed him. At first he resisted, but then he gave in. They stopped breathing excitedly.

"No matter what happens, don't ever think that you aren't worthy of me. I may be a queen, but you are the noblest of Jedi Knights. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." She moved away and left him alone with his thoughts. He was nervous, but a new determination came to him. He let out a brief smile of confidence as he walked out of the medical bay.

* * *

Captain Ackbar stood by the hologram projector as he spoke with Bail Organa, Yoda, and Mace Windu. He had just finished recounting the events of the past few days.

 _"Sending them to Yavin IV is risky,"_ said Windu. Ackbar grunted a bit as he replied.

"But Kenobi's point is well taken Master Windu…that may be there only option." The conversation ceased for a moment as Kenobi and his three companions entered the room. They all bowed slightly to the holographic images that stood at the center of the room. Yoda cut in.

 _"Young Skywalker…agree with your master's feelings you do?"_

"I think it's crazy, but Ben's right…we're running out of places to hide right now." Yoda's closes his eyes as he crooked his head down lower in thought.

 _"Alone to Yavin IV you should not go. Captain Ackbar can provide protection…"_ Anakin dismissed the Grand Master's suggestion.

"I know that Ackbar thinks we need protection, but I already told him that that won't be necessary. We don't want to attract any more Master Yoda. Besides…I think Fett will track us down to Yavin IV." Windu interjected himself into the conversation.

 _"He seems to have a talent for finding you no matter what tactic you try. I sense you are trying to do something else then."_ Anakin smiled slightly as he exchanged a knowing glance with Obi-Wan—whatever they were planning to do had clearly been spoken about shortly before they had entered the room.

"If they're going to come to us, then we should set a trap for them." The room grew silent as all eyes lingered on him. "Ventress is obsessed with proving herself as a Sith Lord. I fought her directly, I felt her thoughts…they were as clear as day. If my hunch is right, she won't able to resist going to the resting place of Exar Kun." Windu posed a question.

 _"Do you think she is Darth Sidious's new apprentice?"_ Kenobi spoke up now.

"No. I think Sidious has a proper apprentice who has given her some basic training in the ways of the Sith but not much more than that."

"They are clearly in league with Sidious and the Separatists…" Anakin added. Obi-Wan revealed some of his own thoughts which he had kept well-hidden.

"I did sense something very familiar about her training."

 _"Who did you sense Master Kenobi?"_ asked Bail Organa.

"I know it's sounds crazy, but her style of fighting…the fact that she was using two lightsabers…it almost feels like Darth Maul had a hand in training her." Organa replied.

 _"But Maul died ten years ago at your hands in Alderaan."_ Yoda interrupted them.

 _"Recall that found a body was not…cut in half he may have been…but good at cheating death the Sith are."_ Windu nodded his head in agreement.

 _"Everything is possible in this environment."_ Obi-Wan Kenobi was adamant however.

"I killed him, I saw him fall…it just doesn't feel right."

 _"Clouded by the Dark Side everything is."_ The Jedi Master paused to allow that possibility to linger in the air before he concluded decisively, _"For the time being, to Yavin you must go."_

 _"We will do our part in the Senate to rally the moderate Separatists ahead of the unity conference,"_ added Bail. Kenobi chirped up.

"Any word from Count Dooku?"

 _"We were at the clone foundries at Kamino…what we found there was very disconcerting to say the least. This batch of clones was originally ordered about twenty-seven years ago, supposedly under instructions by Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas who the cloners said was acting on orders of the Jedi High Council itself."_ Anakin Skywalker grew uncomfortable hearing that date-range but he couldn't quite place why it bothered him. _"Of course, the Council never ordered the construction of a clone army. Someone else went through a lot of trouble to make it seem like the Jedi sanctioned the creation of this army. Now, with the Separatists making large military exercises and engaging our fleet…it appears that a large part of the answer lies in using that clone army. But I don't like it one bit, it just doesn't feel right."_ The room grew colder and more silent. It was clear that something else was at work behind all of this—an invisible hand was pushing the galaxy inextricably to the brink of war. Windu broke the silence.

 _"Captain Ackbar, you will take the Southwestern Battle Group and pursue the Separatist fleet you encountered on Dantooine. Though officially the Republic is not at war, it is clear that we are heading in that direction. At the very least we must defend Republican space from the Separatists. The Council agrees with Kenobi and Skywalker, you will take Queen Amidala and hide on Yavin IV and wait for her assassins to make the next move. Draw them out and engage them directly. Do whatever you need to do to protect her, but if they can be caught and interrogated it would be better for our cause. We might be able to get some concrete answers."_

"As you wish General Windu," Ackbar said as the transmission concluded. Kenobi's eyes widened.

" _General_ Windu? What's going on captain?" Ackbar faced him.

"While you were gallivanting through a Separatist blockade, the Defense Council announced a massive reorganization of the Republican military along the lines of legislation passed by the Senate a week ago." Kenobi nodded his head as Ackbar continued. "Part of that legislation mandated that command of the Republican forces should fall to the Jedi Order in conjunction with the Defense Council…automatically that makes most of the members of the Jedi Council either generals or admirals depending on their forte and military prowess, but it extends all the way down the ranks even to some of the more advanced padawans." He said this last part looking directly at Anakin Skywalker. "Speaking of military matters, _Commander_ Skywalker would do well to tell me who he thinks should go on this mission with himself and _General_ Kenobi as they escort the Queen to Yavin IV." Anakin tried his best to hold back his laughter but couldn't to the great annoyance of Obi-Wan.

"I'm sorry, but you're a general? Come on! We're Jedi, not an army." Ackbar was not amused by the younger Jedi's lack of seriousness.

"I don't think you realize fully the gravity of the situation commander." He paused making sure he got Skywalker's attention. "It's easy for you to make light of the events but I lost twenty ships out there today and some of the best troops out there." He pointed his finned hand directly at Padmé as he continued. "If she holds the key to preventing further bloodshed then you two had better get your act together and quickly. That unity conference is one month away and Queen Amidala must be present there regardless of the costs either to the Republic or the Jedi Order." Kenobi intervened.

"We understand captain, but the Jedi haven't held military titles in almost forty years. It's strange for us."

"There are many things that are different now for everyone Master Kenobi. I was expecting to return to my homeworld in a month's time and join the political life of Mon Calamari before they recalled me for active duty. The Republic faces its greatest peril, and we must all pull our weight." The two Jedi nodded but kept quiet. This time there were no quips from Skywalker's side of the room. Everyone understood the stakes. With a new air of authority about him Commander Skywalker spoke up.

"We need the services of Captain Lars and the _Jundland Bay_ for this mission to be successful," he took in a deep breath as he exchanged a glance with Owen. "That is, if the captain wishes to involve himself further in these matters." It was, in many ways, a dream come true for Owen Lars. He had grown up on the stories of his father's journey with the Republican army and fighting alongside the Jedi Knights. Now he would have the chance to do the same. He spoke up without hesitating at all.

"I'm in." Skywalker shook his hand.

"Welcome to the Army of the Republic… _Ensign_ Lars." A smirk came on to the Owen's face.

"Wait a minute, I didn't sign up to be an ensign!" Anakin smiled.

"Everyone's got to start somewhere." He paused and looked back at Ackbar. "I think we're ready to go Admiral." He nodded his head.

"Man your ship, we'll take you out as far as you need and then you'll make your way on your own to Yavin. May the Force be with you." The two Jedi bowed and left Ackbar to deal with his aides.

* * *

The four companions strapped themselves into the _Jundland Bay_ , which was now repainted to disguise its appearance even further. Anakin took the helm with Owen navigating to his left and Kenobi serving as co-pilot. Padmé Amidala sat in the center behind the two Jedi.

"They did a good job fixing this ship…" Anakin smiled as he looked back toward Owen.

"Well, they did the best they could…look at what they had to start with."

"Say whatever you want, you piloted it well but this rust bucket is the thing that saved us when we ran that blockade."

"Ben, let's get her ready for takeoff."

"Got it." The ignition sequence started and they slowly made their way out of the docking bay of the Mon Calamari cruiser into open space. Within moments the Southwestern Battle Group led by _Gold Seven_ made the jump to lightspeed leaving the _Jundland Bay_ on its own.

"Time for us to get out of here. Owen punch in the coordinates for Yavin IV."

"Give me a few seconds. You're clear now Anakin." He toggled a lever forward and the stars fading into a blinding haze as the _Jundland Bay_ leapt into hyperspace.

* * *

The ship cruised softly through space on autopilot. Owen and Obi-Wan were monitoring some of the navigational charts while Anakin tried to rest in large hall that doubled as a rec-room at the center of the bulk freighter. Padmé made her way to the back to find Anakin without trying to intrude on him too much.

"You seem worried."

"I'm fine."

"No you're not. I can sense your thoughts too, remember?" Anakin turned to face her.

"Truthfully, I am not sure if this is going to work. They could be waiting for us on Yavin IV for all I know."

"You can't think like that Anakin."

"But I have to…don't you see that?" He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. He thought back to his experiences in the Temple and the reputation he had begun to earn. "Padmé everybody thinks that I am itching to go to war, that I am just out looking for a fight…that somehow I am not afraid. You don't know the pressure that gets put on you when they say you're the Chosen One. I am a normal Jedi. Just like anyone else. They talk about me all the time—do you know what they call me back home?" She nodded her head negatively. "They say I am the Hero with No Fear." He paused again. "If they only knew what it really felt like to be inside this body of mine, they would think something different. You felt terror and fear in me when Jango Fett was going after you, and with good reason…I am not afraid when I am in the skies or in space taking down star fighters left and right…I am not afraid with Ben next to me as we fight droids or whatever else is coming out after us." He exhaled deeply. "But I am afraid when it comes to you…I don't know if you get what I am saying…"

"I do."

"When we were on Coruscant and I saw you in danger for the first time. I realized something. I am not the stoic Jedi Knight of legend. I am not Ben Kenobi…I don't want to give my life totally to the Order or even to the Republic...there has to be something more for me to hope for in this galaxy than duty and honor." She grabbed his hand in hers and squeezed it gently as leaned against him.

"Rulers and warriors aren't that different. There are times that I just want to run away from the crown and all the responsibilities that come with it. I thought I would have a quiet life, but it seems like that's not going to happen." He chuckled to himself. She smiled back at him. "You are who you are Anakin…you have a spark that few people in this Republic have. It's an admirable quality that's in short supply." She paused. "Whatever happens on Yavin IV, I know you'll defend me that you'll be my greatest champion…but you need to know that I will be there for you every step of the way." He allowed himself to relax and lean closely into her. They didn't saying anything else. There was a quiet understanding between the two. Obi-Wan Kenobi looked up from the charts for a moment and saw them together. He smiled. Perhaps there was still a chance for all of them in the midst of all the turmoil that was wreaking havoc across the galaxy.


	3. A Walking Nightmare

**Chapter 3: A Walking Nightmare**

A small shuttle landed on the far side of Mos Eisley on Tatooine. This was clearly meant to be a discrete docking bay—there was only one other ship stationed there for routine maintenance. It was _Slave I_. The small silvery vessel landed quietly across from Jango Fett's vessel. The hatch opened and a hard metallic clacking sound came down as the sole occupant of the craft, dressed only in coal-black robes, walked out. While half of his body appeared to be made of flesh, the bottom part was thick metal painted red and black all over. Jango Fett feared very few individuals in the galaxy. This was one of the exceptions to his rule. He felt his heart fluttering as the robed figure came before him. He had disturbed Ventress and Fett in an intimate moment. They quickly pulled apart and stood at attention.

"My master is displeased with your lack of progress." Ventress decided to speak first.

"Our apologies my Lord…Skywalker and Kenobi are formidable opponents…"

"I sense that there is something else you are keeping me from Lady Ventress. Your thoughts betray you. Tell me." She hesitated for a moment before responding.

"It appears that Queen Amidala is Force-sensitive and being trained as a Jedi." He scratched his face softly.

"An interesting development…we knew she had abilities…but being trained as a knight is an odd move for the Council. Quite unlike them to do this." He paused as he thought about this situation. Fett decided to interject his opinion.

"What better way to protect her then by sending her with two Jedi and training her at the same time."

"Indeed, Fett. They are wise if they have thought so far ahead." He turned to face Ventress.

"Who is her master?"

"Skywalker," she replied. He laughed to himself.

"So they chose a padawan to instruct another padawan...Skywalker is very talented for an apprentice. Have you faced him?"

"I did." Ventress replied. "He is very powerful, and when working together with the other two Jedi…he is even more deadly. But alone he is dangerous, he almost killed me."

"A pity that he didn't Asajj…I would have less problem to worry about." She was hoping it was some morbid joke on his part, but he was definitely serious.

"Any news from Lord Sidious?"

"Yes. The Separatists we control are moving to quash Dooku's efforts to forge this pathetic excuse for a unity conference. They are building more droids and recruit more troops to their ranks as we speak. Of course none of this matters if Amidala lives to arrive at Alderaan."

"We won't fail you," said Jango Fett. The robed figure dropped his hood revealing his scarred face with red and black splashed on his face along with his prominent horns covering his otherwise bare scalp.

"I hope so for your sake Jango. I think you are aware of my hard-earned reputation. When you lost them ten years ago during the war of occupation, I was the one who suggested to my master that you should have been terminated immediately. He of course stayed my hand. You will not be so lucky if you fail me again, do we have an understanding?"

"Yes, Lord Maul."

"Good." He turned to face Ventress. "I wish to speak with you in private. Send your…paramour…elsewhere." That chilled Fett's blood but he obeyed when Ventress shot him a glance. He bowed and took his leave. "You must be fully aware that the Rule of Two remains…"

"Yes."

"I am not foolish Asajj. You desire to be a Dark Lady of the Sith, this will never happen so long as Sidious and I live."

"My Lord, I live to serve only you and him…you must believe me." He waved his hand away in front of her pushing her back with the Force and started constricting her throat.

"Nor am I an idiot Ventress." She used the Force to break his grip and slammed a kick in his chest knocking the wind briefly out of him. He rose quickly about to strike her but then stopped.

"I did some research of my own Maul. Sidious thinks the Rule of Two is finished. He wants to take on a new apprentice besides you. Perhaps this could work to our mutual benefit?" He collected himself and began to calm down.

"I'm listening."

"Sidious wants to take Kenobi as his new apprentice. You could just as easily take me on as your apprentice without him being any the wiser."

"And why would I want to take someone like you as an apprentice?" She smiled.

"Because I get the feeling that you don't entirely trust Sidious's motives." He sighed and turned away from her. "Come now…it wasn't that difficult for me to figure that one out. You are very easy to read. Sidious is aware of your suspicions."

"So I have doubts, who doesn't?"

"Why?"

"He and I worked in concert during the occupation of Alderaan. We were of one mind and thought as we laid out our plans. Then he revealed the business of the clones and this war, and I realized that he had never been working with me at all. He was using me as a tool to extend his and Plagueis's plans." It was his turn to surprise her now.

"It is an unusual for a Sith to fall in love. We don't operate that way." She tried to conceal her unease but surprisingly she blushed upon hearing his comment. The thought of Fett warmed her otherwise cold heart.

"He's different." She paused again looking away from Maul. "But yes, I love him." Maul smiled.

"There was a time when there were many expressions of the Sith. Indeed, there were times when the line between Sith and Jedi was blurred. You know our history, at least the part of it that counts. We were once united in our desire to protect the galaxy. We were the guardians of stability and order. Some Jedi believed that they could use the Dark Side to help in that effort. For a time, the rest of the Order encouraged them to explore these and other paths. But we wanted more than just defense, we wanted power which is the only force that is truly respected in the galaxy. The Jedi refused to accept that so a split occurred…you know the rest. We fought many costly wars over thousands of years to prove who would gain dominance over the affairs of the galaxy."

"Most of which the Jedi won in the end."

"Yes."

"You still haven't answered my question Maul…why don't you trust Sidious?" Maul paused and thought it over. After a few minutes of silence had passed between them, he finally answered her.

"Because I am almost positive that once he gets what he desires he will have no further use for me. He will cut me down where I stand. That is something I will not allow to happen." Ventress moved closer to him. At last he had revealed an opening for her to make a strong case.

"Then take me on as your apprentice." He hesitated.

"Kneel before me." She did. He raised his massive lightsaber, igniting one end of it and he raised it up slowly bestowing upon her the ancient Sith accolade. "By the power of the Force and bound by my will, I declare you Asajj Ventriss…to be my servant." He lightly passed the blade first over her right shoulder then over her left before extinguishing it and helping her to her feet. "Know this however, you are not a Sith yet. You must prove yourself in battle."

"I will find Skywalker and kill him where he stands. I will serve you well my master." He smiled at her.

"I know you will. Now go and fulfill your destiny." As she left, he looked away lost in thought thinking of a way to beat Sidious at his own game before it was too late for him.

* * *

Aboard the _Jundland Bay_ , Obi-Wan Kenobi tried to sleep. They have another seven hours to go before they arrived to the Yavin system and he needed all the rest he could get. Owen and Anakin were playing dejarik on the holographic board near the rear of the ship. It was Padmé's turn to keep watch over the ship's autopilot in the smaller cockpit. Tossing and turning in one of the empty bunks once used by the crew members, Kenobi began to have a vivid nightmare. He stood alone in a blackened planet where the only other color he saw was a volcanic red. Smoke billowed in the distance. He saw a familiar face beneath him writhing in pain—almost as if the fiery magma that surrounded them was consuming the face. But the man's face kept coming in and out of focus. Who was it? He couldn't tell. For a moment he thought it was Anakin, but then it looked like Owen, then Sheev Palpatine, then Dooku, until finally it looked like a mass of mixed faces that drove his imagination wild.

Finally the images ceased and Kenobi raised his head on the ridge above hearing a maniacal cackle. He saw Darth Maul standing above him with a double-edged lightsaber glowing in his hands. It was him—but he looked so different…so altered as to be almost recognizable save for half of his face. Where his legs had been there was metal-layered upon metal. He looked almost like the battle droids of the Trade Federation. The cocoon of metal and circuitry extended over much of his chest and large parts of his face, but it was still the same Darth Maul. He grunted out loud saying not a word and charged at him. Suddenly the rocks underneath them all began to give way and Obi-Wan found himself hurtling down a deep abyss, his screaming was the only thing that pierced through all the blackness and the fire.

He was screaming loudly for everyone to hear when he finally fell out of the bunk landing hard on the floor. Anakin Skywalker ran to his master's side with Owen, leaving their game unfinished. Even Padmé her Kenobi's screams in the upper-levels of the ship and quickly climbed down the closest shaft to the lower deck.

"Ben! Are you all right? What's wrong? Answer me!" Anakin didn't know what to do. He looked to Padmé for advice but found none. Kenobi's senses finally came to him and he slowly raised himself to his feet with some help from his friends. Sweat covered his face and he was still trying to catch his breath. "What was it?"

"A vision…it was so real…I saw fire and smoke all over the place. I think I might have been fighting for my life…there was fire everywhere…lava from volcanoes…then I saw him…in the distance…"

"Who do you see?" asked Anakin.

"Maul…I feel it now…can't you feel it too?"

"Feel what Ben? …I don't know what you're talking about!" Kenobi's eyes almost bulged from their sockets. Then they widened as a realization came to him.

"That must be it…" He paused finally catching his breath and sat down on the bunk staring straight ahead, he wasn't looking at his companions but passed them. "I fear that Yoda might have been right after all…that vision was potent. Too precise to be just a bad dream. Maul's survived his encounter with me."

"How do you know?"

"I can feel it Anakin. The vision was the Force's way of telling me that someone terrible is coming our way."

* * *

Blasting through space, _Gold Seven_ led the Southwestern Battle Group in pursuit of the fleet they encountered over Dantooine. They had under brief repairs and refueling on Alderaan and picked up multiple frigates and heavy cruisers along with an additional compliment of Alderaanian gunships and several Correllian corvettes to bolster their fleet strength. They wasted no time in making their way forward proudly bearing the insignia of the Republic on one side of their hulls and the Jedi Order on the opposite side. Ackbar wanted the Separatists to be well aware of who and what they were facing should they choose the option of war.

Antilles approached Ackbar who was gazing at the various fleet ships as they maneuvered together through hyperspace.

"We should be intercepting the Separatist fleet in a few hours."

"Good, where are they headed?"

"Their trajectory will be taking to Sullust."

"Did you contact the Sullustian government to make them aware of our presence?" Antilles smiled at his superior.

"I can give you better than that. They welcomed our presence saying that their loyalties are with the Republic. They will allow us use of their ports and space stations should we need to rest after engaging the Separatists."

"Excellent." Ackbar stared out the view screen as the fleet began to pull out of hyperspace. They saw the fiery landscape of Sullust before them. They could see the black landscape mixed in with gorgeous lakes on the planetary surface. They also caught sight of the Separatist fleet they had engaged with earlier. "Open a comm link with them, I want to hail them first." Antilles nodded his head.

"You're clear Captain."

"This is Captain Gial Ackbar of _Gold Seven_. My fleet represents the Galactic Republican navy. I urge you to surrender your forces and cease this pointless pursuit before further blood is shed. There is no need for more violence…" He had barely finished the last line when suddenly a barrage of proton torpedoes began to rain upon the fleet. "Shields up now!" They braced for impact as they felt the strikes land on their targets. "Damage report Lieutenant Antilles?"

"Minimal sir, all ships accounted for. Your orders?"

"Engage them now…accelerate all cruisers to attack speed and engage them!"

"Yes sir!" He began ordering the men as the Republic's fleet began responding in kind. Ackbar saw the Star Destroyer's moving into position ahead of him as the remaining Mon Calamari Cruisers followed them in tow. They began to rain down heavy fire on the Separatists cruisers while taking little damage. The chase, it seemed, had taken a toll on the already damaged Separatist fighters. Ackbar allowed himself to rest for a bit in his console chair as he watched the fight proceed. Raymus Antilles sat next to him.

"You seem to have something you want to say Raymus…I've never been one to hold back an opinion. I wouldn't expect you to either." Antilles loosened his collar a bit and removed his battle helmet.

"All this firepower we have against them, they don't stand a chance. We should offer them terms…"  
"Which is what I tried to do at the outset and they fired upon us. I had no choice."

"I know." Ackbar cleared his throat as he breathed in.

"But you're not talking about my actions on the battlefield."

"Gial…think about it. What good is all this business about a unity conference when we are practically fighting an undeclared war as it is?" Ackbar swiveled around his seat to face Antilles.

"My orders come directly from the Jedi High Council. These are simply skirmishes against pirates. All battlefield commanders are instructed not to deploy their clone troopers unless it's absolutely necessary."

"That's evasive and you know it...we are playing a foolish game here." Ackbar smiled.

"So long as we don't use the clones we are avoiding an all-out war. We're just fighting them in space, not for control of territory. That's the difference my friend."

"And if they start invading?" The captain looked away from him and stood up watching as more explosions rocked a set of ships that were uncomfortably close to Sullust.

"Then pray that the Force spares the galaxy, because that conflict will be bloody and open-ended. I fear for the safety of the Republic when that day comes." Raymus Antilles was going to say something more when the two officers saw something come out of lightspeed in the distance.

"What is that?" Ackbar stood up, his mouth slightly opened as he gazed ahead of him. An urgent message came over the comm system,

 _"Alert! Alert! Enemy reinforcements have arrived in sector 68! Repeat enemy reinforcements have arrived in sector 68!"_ Ackbar stared out as thousands of new Separatist cruisers and fighters entered the fray. His nerves were calmed. This is what he had trained for all of his life in the academy on Mon Calamari and at Coruscant. Though he didn't want a war to start, he had no choice.

"Get me Coruscant on the line immediately and patch me in to all neighboring battle groups."

"Your orders?"

"We need every available ship on the line." Then a terrible thought occurred to him. "Lieutenant, wasn't the Northern Battle Group supposed to be chasing down pirates near Sullust?" It took a while for Antilles to understand what Ackbar was suggesting.

"Yes…"

"Why didn't we meet them here then? Why didn't the Sullustians tell us about them?"

"By the Force…look there sir!" Ackbar's eyes looked over near the edge of where the new ships were approaching. He saw the damaged and destroyed hulls of another fleet. They had the emblems of the Republic. It was the scarred carcasses and dead weight of the Northern Battle Group. "Sir?"

"They knew we were coming! They occupied Sullust and had them feed us false intelligence...give me closest fleet in the area."

"It's one of the clone fleets…elements of the Eastern Battle Group. I believe General Windu is with them."

"How far?"

"They are near the Mustafar System sir." It wasn't far away from their position.

"Hail them immediately." The comm came to life again with the voice of Mace Windu on the other end.

 _"Captain Ackbar, what's the situation on Sullust?"_

"The Northern Battle Group has been completely destroyed and we will be soon enough if you don't get here on the double."

 _"I thought it was small fleet…what's going on?"_

"They lured us here General…they knew we would pursue them without checking in with the other battle group…I only realized it now…"

 _"We're on the way…how many ships do you count?"_ Ackbar knew that Windu would balk at the number, but what he else could he say but the truth.

"The enemy has a fleet that numbers in the tens of thousands, perhaps even larger…we can't hold them off forever…I am afraid we need the clone forces here…they are part of your fleet…" he paused. "We have no choice." There was silence on the other end.

 _"Fight them as best as you can till we arrive, we'll be there in half an hour."_

"Good." The comm linked let out some static and then the conversation ended. "Shields up, let's see what our flagship can do." He gave a smile to Antilles who began running around and ensuring that the crew obeyed the will of their leader. Hundreds of droid fighters made their toward the hull of _Gold Seven_. "All crews to your fighters, destroy the Separatist fleet and protect the fleet…concentrate of all our batteries against the heavy cruisers!" _Gold Seven_ moved decisively toward the heat of the battle and began engaging two large Trade Federation vessels pummeling them with a mix of lasers and torpedoes. They were inferior ships to the Calamarian cruisers but they still packed a significant punch at close range.

 _Gold Seven_ moved closer to the enemy vessels and began pounding them hard with lasers. The central sphere and command module of the Federation vessel to the left of the ship burst in an explosion that rocked _Gold Seven_ as the Republican flagship turned to engage the other Federation cruiser. Ackbar shouted to his men, "Prepare to ram that ship!" All eyes looked up at the order not believing it was true. "Do it now!" They began firing more shots as they sped closer and closer toward the central command module of the enemy ship. Finally they burst through as they peppered the vessel with fire and crashed through the central defenses, ripping the central sphere of the enemy ship cleanly in half as they passed through to the other side. What they saw their tempered their sense of victory. There were thousands of ships surrounding them.

Out of lightspeed came the familiar shapes of more Star Destroyers and Alderaanian gunships. It was Windu's fleet. Ackbar smiled as he saw them begin to engage the Separatist fleet. This was no longer a skirmish. Now the clones were involved in this conflict over space—the opening shots of the Clone Wars had begun— the very first battle would forever be known as the Battle of Sullust—and Ackbar could already tell that many would lose their lives before this day was done. He only prayed that the Jedi and the Queen were safe, there might still be some hope for a peaceful resolution.

* * *

"They are fighting," Anakin said out loud directing it seemingly to no one. Padmé raised her head.

"Who?"

"I sense the Republic is fighting a massive battle…I sense the presence of Master Windu and Ackbar…they are scared. There are too many of them."

"Will they live?" Anakin closed his eyes.

"I believe so. But I am not sure if we can keep the peace for much longer." Obi-Wan Kenobi came down the flight of stairs and stood before them.

"I felt it too Anakin…many good people are dying." Skywalker turned his face away, he seemed stressed by the feelings he was sensing.

"What a mess," said Owen Lars as put a hydrospanner away in a compartment of the _Jundland Bay_. "First my ship gets attacked by the Separatist nerf herders, then we have to deal with some crazy bounty hunter with a witch in tow, now we've got a war? Come on! What else could go wrong?" Anakin smiled at his friend. He always knew how to say what everyone else was thinking in the most direct way possible.

"Well at least we have each other." Lars rolled his eyes.

"Yeah this is what I really bargained for when I loaded my freighter, pick up two Jedi and a Queen, and get myself into the army like my father did. He would be laughing at the twin suns if he knew what I've been through." A beeping came in loudly over some of the speakers. "Looks like we're approaching Yavin right now, I'm going to pull us out of lightspeed." Padmé and Anakin exchanged a glance and a smile, not even bothering to hide it in front of Obi-Wan. His eyes met Anakin's.

 _"I need to speak with you."_

 _"Now?"_

 _"Yes."_ Anakin excused himself with an awkward nod of his head and followed Kenobi into an adjoining room. The door slammed behind them.

"What is it Ben?'

"We're going to confront Fett and Asajj Ventress again."

"I'll be ready."

"That's not what I am concerned about."

"What are you concerned about Ben?" Kenobi sighed.

"I just don't want you to make the same mistakes I made." That line hurt Anakin but it also brought up some other feelings. He tried once again to reason with his friend.

"Ben…I know you're looking out for me…but your feelings for Padmé did not cause Qui-Gon's death. That entirely was Maul's fault."

"Yes it was…but he used my personal feelings to make sure he only had to deal with one Jedi instead of two. He knew my mandate was to protect her. But he knew that I would exceed my mandate because I cared about her deeply…that's what I am worried about with you."

"Padmé is just a friend…"

"I am no fool Anakin."

"I'm serious…yes I care about her…but this is totally different. I have to keep a clear head…don't you think I know that? I have to protect her first and foremost," then he slipped what he really felt like saying, "I don't know what I'd do if she got hurt." The way he spoke conveyed much more than the words he was using. It was then that Obi-Wan Kenobi's eyes widened and he realized that this was not analogous to the infatuation he had felt with Amidala when they liberated her planet. It wasn't an infatuation at all. There was something more. Before he could stop the words from coming out, he asked the obvious question.

"You love her…don't you?" Anakin froze. How could he be so foolish to let his feelings show so easily? Obi-Wan was right—the Sith would see him as a quick study who could easily be manipulated.

"I think I do Ben." Kenobi smiled at him and grabbed him by the shoulder.

"There's no doubt in my mind that you'll protect her with your life. But you must hide your feelings as best as you can. Don't let them dominate you…" His voiced trailed off again before he picked up his thread. There was a forlorn look to Kenobi this time. He wasn't thinking about Qui-Gon, something else—something of a more recent vintage was on his mind. "…we'll beat them, no harm will come to Padmé…I promise." They exchanged a knowing glance as the ship began to pull out of lightspeed. Outside they saw the massive gas giant of Yavin and the feint outlines of its moons in orbit.

* * *

A wave of emotions flooded through Dooku as he came out of a meditative trance. He adjusted his cloak and grabbed his lightsaber's hilt feeling the worn edges of the curved piece of metal—it was one of more elegant lightsabers. He felt the intricate symbols he had so diligently carved into it. It was modeled on the ancient inscriptions that the Jedi would put into their hilts in the era of the Old Sith Wars when there were not simply one or two Sith Lords but many hundreds complete with an empire to threaten the stability of the galaxy. Yoda had taught him all that he ever wanted to know about the history of the Order—even information that most padawans would have been scandalized by was not off limits between Yoda and Dooku during their many conversations.

He knew of the massive battle occurring over Sullust. Dooku also felt the battle of wills that was inevitably starting as the _Jundland Bay_ made its preparations to land on Yavin IV. But his thoughts were taken elsewhere toward his true mission. Others were left to fight the Separatists or guard Amidala—his task was to hunt down Sidious and he would do so methodically. Against Bail Organa's advice, Dooku secretly returned to Geonosis making sure to keep himself away from any Republican outposts or forts on the planet. He was looking for Sidious's abandoned lair which was certainly on the planet. Dooku had felt the Dark Lord's Force-signature clearly when Anakin and Obi-Wan had been captured by Fett.

It took him a few days to get his bearings but he had managed to found a large cave that was bored out of the side of one the more imposing rock formations on Geonosis. Now he was in there. It had been abandoned only for a few weeks, but he could still sense the presence of the Dark Side.

"What were you doing here Sidious?" He said this to no one in particular. Dooku had only one fear that he learned to channel in other ways under Yoda's tutelage—a fear of the dark and isolated places of the universe. That fear was present in this forsaken hideout. An older looking computer-array caught his sight as he made his way past several hastily dropped blasters and some Geonosian staffs.

Then he saw it. His mouth was stuck open at the devastating plans and prototypes he saw before him. One weapon in particular was odd. It was spherical in shape—but the primary weapon was powered by a large Kyber crystal. _Where would they get something as large as that?_ More to the point, what possible use could this weapon be? It could destroy capital ships with a single blast—but it appeared it could do much more damage than that. He opened his comm and Bail Organa's voiced popped up over the speaker.

 _"What have you found?"_

"More than I bargained for I'm afraid. The clones were only the beginning."

 _"What do you mean?"_

"Sidious is building weapons the likes of which we've only heard about in legend. The Sith used to build superweapons…it was said that they could destroy planets and systems. It was all myth and shrouded in secrecy. Nobody talked about this in the Temple ever…"

 _"You're saying you've found confirmation that these things exist?"_

"I'm saying that I am looking at detailed plans for a superweapon…and for all we know it may already be operational…" Bail tried not to let his nervous show through over the comm link but a lump had risen in his throat.

 _"And Sidious?"_

"I don't understand him. He had enough time to calmly leave this place but he wanted me to find this, to know how much power he had accrued…"

 _"Do you believe it's a trap?"_

"I am not sure Bail…but if the Separatists are mixed up with this it's only a matter of time before Palpatine and his war-hungry pals in the Defense Council will dig this up and bring us to war."

 _"Ackbar and Windu are already fighting with clone forces against a massive fleet…Force's sake Dooku…we are already at war…"_

"Yes…but this is a conventional war confined only to a few regions, if the Separatists have access to weapons like these…this will become a galaxy conflagration with no end in sight. Bail this war will be the most destructive conflict we will have seen in more than two thousand years…We may not be able to hold back the militarization of the Republic much longer if this comes to light."

* * *

Over the planet of Sullust, the violent battle raged on wildly. The capital ship next to _Gold Seven_ blew up in a hail of fire and smoke. Mace Windu commanding voice broke out over the comm,

 _"Captain, are you all right?"_

"We're fine…but we can't hold out for much longer with attacks like that."

 _"Our clone fighters are dying by the thousands…how could the Separatists have gathered an attack fleet so quickly together?"_ Ackbar thought about his point for a moment but didn't respond. He looked at the scene in front of him and through the fog of smoke and fire he caught side of an extremely large rod-like ship. It had only a single shaft—what appeared to be a primary weapon of sorts. Ackbar was not unfamiliar with the Sith legends—he had heard stories of terrifying superweapons. In fact, of all the people who served in the Republican military establishment he was one of the few who believed such weapons were capable of being constructed. He instantly recognized that vessel.

"By the Force…that's what we have to destroy…" Windu's confused voice responded over the comm.

 _"What is it?"_

"All fleet ships disengage the enemy and target that capital ship near the center of their fleet." Windu's eyes widened as he grabbed hold of the railing aboard his ship, a large Star Destroyer—the _Ravenfire_. He adjusted his robes as he stared out into the distance. The familiar voice of Yoda echoed through his mind

 _"Ancient destroyers the Sith were…powerful crystals they used to devastate the galaxy they did…."_

 _"But master those are just stories…"_

 _"Stories you say? Hmm…saw those weapons with my eyes I did…terrifying they were…terrifying they are still…"_ Windu recoiled from the memory. Sweat dripped from his brow as he turned to his men.

"Do what Ackbar says…immediately!" All men started rushing. The fleet ships began moving away from smaller engagements and made their way toward the large capital ship. The fighters scrambled and began pummeling the mysterious vessel. _Gold Seven_ and the _Ravenfire_ moved close to each other as they concentrated their far on the rod-like ship in front of them. It shields began to crumble as laser fire overtook it. The rest of the Separatist fleet attempted to defend the vessel but to no avail—the Republican ships refused to take the bait. Suddenly the primary weapon began turning a bright yellow. Ackbar yelled out loudly over the comm,

"Fire everything you have at it now!" Before the large vessel could finish its firing sequence it began to blow up internally. The ships surrounding it began to shake and rumble as the ship began to burst into a gigantic explosive ring that took out another twenty Separatist and twelve Republican vessels. Then there was a deafening silence above Sullust. No sooner had the explosion occurred than the crippled remains of the Separatist fleet made a tactical escape into lightspeed. Ackbar could see their vessels blasting out of Sullust's planetary atmosphere as they abandoned their occupation. No one cheered on the Republican side. They had lost almost thirty percent of their fleet in the course of the battle. Moreover they were frightened by the powerful weapon they had just destroyed.


	4. Terror of the Past, Vision of the Future

**Chapter 4: Terror of the Past, Vision of the Future**

They landed in a clearing near some of the largest Massassi Temple's on Yavin IV. Obi-Wan gazed at the temple area and felt the old stains of darkness there though it certainly was not as strong as what he had felt when they had traveled to Korriban ten years previously. Owen Lars began pulling out supplies.

"So where do we go now?" Kenobi turned around him breaking his concentration.

"Let's go to that set of ruins, it'll provide us with good shelter from the elements and we can lay low there. They moved there. Padmé and Anakin stayed close together. This was the first time he felt fear exuding from her. The two of them lingered to the edge of the forest and then Anakin left her with Owen. He followed Kenobi up the side of small set of ruins.

"What do you think?"

"You were right." Anakin smirked.

"That's not like you to give me credit so easily." Kenobi hit his arm hard. Then he grew serious.

"It was dangerous to come here."

"You sense it too?"

"Exar Kun's spirit is alive and well." He pointed to the dark citadel and an ominous statue several miles away. "That's his resting place if you could call it that."

"I heard all the stories about him Ben. They say he was one of the most powerful and intelligent Jedi that ever lived." Kenobi nodded his head.

"He refused to surrender…refused to be taken alive. His downfall is instructive for all of us. It's not getting angry or feeling unbridled emotions…these alone do not lead a Jedi down the dark path. It's giving in to temptation, reaching to the darkness time and again for strength in a battle. Kun's talents bred in him an arrogance but also a sense of curiosity which led him to Korriban's temples and ruined valleys."

"You've been there."

"I have. And I pray that the Force never requires me to go back to that place again. Even the strongest Jedi Knight should never go there unless it's absolutely necessary."

"Ventriss has no choice but to make her move here if she wants to take on the mantle of a Sith Lord." Kenobi nodded his head in agreement.

"Which is going to make her and Fett more dangerous to handle…she will want to prove herself to her master."

"Maul." Anakin said the name without batting an eye. He believed in his master's keen sense of intuition. "If he is alive, things just a got a lot more dangerous." Kenobi nodded his head.

"That's not are only problem. While we were making our way here I received a brief holo from Dooku."

"And?"

"We have more to be concerned about than the Sith Lords running rampant…it appears that Sidious is developing superweapons and that might be what sent so many tremors through the Force…" Anakin's eyes widened as he took in what Obi-Wan was saying.

"Do you think that Ackbar and the others are safe?" Kenobi shut his eyes trying to sense how the battle had ended.

"I am not sure." Anakin felt a whispering rustling through the trees.

"There's something about this place. It's not cold Ben." Obi-Wan looked up at his apprentice seeing him gazing toward the largest temple. "The Force is strong here."

"What do you see?" He closed his eyes. Almost as suddenly as he felt the Force calling out to him. Anakin was assaulted with a powerful vision.

"By the Force," was all he was able to get out as he fell down to his knees. Kenobi moved closely to him. He opened his eyes and saw Padmé running up to him. She smiled at him. Then the visions came at him quickly. He remembered falling down to the ground softly… Padmé and Ben were trying to wake him up.

* * *

" _Anakin…"_

 _"Yes."_

 _Then there was silence. The images were dark at first…but then he saw them with clarity. It felt like it lasted for an hour. There were disembodied voices that rang out clearly through his mind._

 _"You can't win…" It was an older man facing down a black warrior. But who the two men were escaped him. Their lightsabers clashed against a gray background. Then the darkness returned. He found himself in a metallic room buffeted by winds and a slight breeze. The smell of singed flesh and metal hung in the air._

 _"You've learned much young one…" There was a youthful Jedi with his lightsaber held proudly before him. The black warrior from before appeared again, almost beckoning and taunting the younger man—what was he tempting the boy with? Unlimited power? Total dominance of the galaxy? The bitter fruit of truth? What truth? What was all of this pointing too?_

 _His vision went black again. Then he saw the same young boy from before—he was dressed in black. He seemed older, somewhat familiar. Standing next to him was a girl of similar age. They were talking in a wooded area—but what they said was unintelligible to Anakin. He could hear the distant sound of Ewoks singing and drums resounding through the forests._

 _"The Force is strong in my family…"_

 _"Who said that? What is all this?" The darkness consumed him…multiple images, exploding ships, a war on an ice world he couldn't quite place, more explosions, the voices of thousands of people rang out through his head. Then it stopped. He found himself in a snow-filled forest. He saw a man on the ground. And another man, dressed in black…but young in appearance using the Force to pull a lightsaber toward him. It passed right by him to another person, it was a girl who looked scared and amazed all at once as the hilt came to rest in her hand. Anakin recognized the lightsaber. It was the one he had built as part of his training._

 _Then the scene shifted. The darkly clothed man raised his red lightsaber clashing with the blue lightsaber held by the same young girl. She couldn't have been more than nineteen years old. They struggled mightily with their blades. Then he finally could make out what the younger man was saying to her._

 _"You need a teacher! I can show you the ways of the Force."_ _The girl closed her eyes upon hearing it._

 _"The Force." She opened her eyes and pushed him back fighting him tenaciously. She was striking him blow for blow before they made it back to a clearing and grasped each other's wrists—each of them struggling to gain the upper hand. It felt as if they were warring sides of the same family. Who were these people? What possibly could connect them and their fates to him? Then the scene disappeared. He found himself cheering for the girl but crying in his heart for the boy even though he knew none of them._

 _"What is this? Is this some trick of the Dark Side?" A neutral voice, the one that had called to him before spoke out._

 _"It is not a trick Anakin Skywalker." He found himself breathing deeply._

 _"I can't make sense of any this."_

 _"Nor are you meant to…."_

 _"What am I seeing? Is it the future? The past? The present?"_

 _"It is not for you to know any of these things."_

 _"Then what I am to learn."_

 _"Guard the Force within you son of Shmi." The voice knew his mother. Anakin realized that it was the Force itself speaking to him. He felt tears falling down his cheeks._

 _"What am I to do? Tell me…"_

 _"Your destiny is to bring balance to the Force. But it is not yours alone to carry, it is not your burden alone. Always your family will have the responsibility of balancing the Force across the galaxy and within themselves." He wanted to ask more. A part of him knew what he had seen had not yet happened. But before he could open his mouth he felt himself returning to the real world and opening his eyes._

* * *

Sidious felt a powerful tremor in the Force. It commanded his attention as he sat alone in the darkness contemplating the defeat of the Separatist fleet and the destruction of the prototype weapon by Ackbar and Windu's combined force of clone troopers and the Republican navy. Someone had just been given a powerful vision by the Force. He did not know what the vision contained but it sent powerful tremors that boded poorly for his plans. Perhaps this had something to do with the defeat of his fleet. It disturbed him that they successfully destroyed the capital ship carrying a superlaser—one capable of destroying ships and even planets. He was waiting for Maul to check-in. His apprentice was late as he entered the door.

"I told you to come immediately."

"And I did."

"You lie terribly Maul, be mindful of whom you are dealing with." Maul bowed his head low feigning obeisance. Sidious saw right through his charade and the younger man refused to contain his anger for much longer.

"Why didn't you inform me of the Death Star plans? When were you going to fill me in on the stolen cache of Kyber crystals?"

"It was of no concern to you. You should be satisfied with following your instructions to the letter and knowing whatever I deem fit to tell you." At this Maul's lost his temper. He used the Force to throw a large crate across the room shattering it against the wall. Then he grunted as he ignited his lightsaber and lunged for Sidious's neck. Sidious ignited his blade and blocked it as Maul spoke with a furious tenor.

"Do you take me for a fool? Did you really think it would escape my attention that you started training a Nightsister?" Sidious did not answer him. He extinguished his blade and sat back down waiting for his apprentice to relax. Maul waited there a few moments before turning off his blade as his master spoke.

"And did you believe I would not sense your meeting with her on Tatooine?" Maul remained silent. "The Rule of Two may be breaking but it is not gone yet Maul. Nor will I stand for you attempting to train her behind my back!" Sidious's eyes had a menacing glow to them. But Maul refused to back down.

"Her loyalty is with me now."

"Asajj's loyalty is with no one except herself. The sooner you learn that the better you and I will be. She is a means to an end as is Jango Fett." He paused for a moment. "You really believe you can use her against me? You know what I am capable of Maul. Do not try my patience."

"How long do you think it will take the Jedi to realize that you initiated the construction of the clone army? You cannot hide that forever. I have to provide a backup strategy for myself. Ventriss is that strategy." Sidious smiled. The Sith were always conniving backstabbers to the bitter end.

"You are intelligent Maul. However, you will not do to me what I did with my master."

"Plagueis died facing down Qui-Gon Jinn on Dantooine. What are you talking about?" Sidious cackled.

"You really are a fool. He was master of life and death…one of the greatest Sith Lords the galaxy has ever known. The battle on Dantooine was a farce." He stood up and walked toward one of the large windows overlooking the industrial quarters of Coruscant. "He had the gift of astral projection…he mastered it."

"You killed him, didn't you?"

"In his sleep…he was weakened from the battle with Jinn…I took advantage of it and slew him. But his spirit remains locked up in that mausoleum on Korriban …he gave me that as his last command before unleashing me on the Republic."

"How you can be sure that wasn't another trick on his part? He was good at cheating death according to you." This scenario had actually crossed Sidious's mind.

"I would have felt his Force-signature." Maul wasn't so certain that Sidious's analysis was correct but chose to kept his judgments to himself. "Nevertheless more, I believe our bickering can be saved for a later occasion. I have another mission for you…that is if you still serve me…" Maul resigned himself to his fate for the moment.

"I do." He paused. "What's the mission?"

"Dooku is getting too close to our plans. He's already revealed far too much to our enemies in the Republic." He let out a short sigh and then continued. "My sources tell me that he will be representing most of the Separatists at the unity conference on Alderaan. If Queen Amidala survives our assassins there is no doubt he will go there immediately. You must kill him and the others there if our plans are to succeed." Maul bowed.

"As you wish, my master."

* * *

He told no one about the vision he had. It barely made any sense to him, how would they understand it? When he came too he shook it off as the tension but he knew that Ben Kenobi felt that there was something more too it. He left Owen with Ben near the temples and moved closer to Exar Kun's monument. There was a rustling behind him. It was Padmé.

"You need to learn more of how to cover your Force-signature. I felt your presence miles away." She smiled.

"I didn't want to hide." She grasped the lightsaber that had once belonged to Qui-Gon Jinn and handed it to Anakin. "I wanted to give this back to you." He pushed it back gently into her hands.

"It's yours Padmé. You need it if you are to complete your training." He felt fear exuding from her again. "Don't be scared."

"Right. Tell me you won't feel that way when someone is trying to kill you." He grabbed her hands.

"I won't allow anything to happen to you. You know this to be true, don't you?" She pulled away from him changing the subject.

"Ben thinks that you're hiding something from him. Maybe you can lie to him but you damn well won't lie to me. Not after what we've been through so far." He was taken aback by her frankness.

"What exactly do you want to know?"

"You had a vision back there, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"What did you see?"

"It's nothing." She moved close to him.

"It is something." He pulled back running right into a stone wall. Anakin couldn't escape from her hazel eyes any longer. "Tell me. You don't have to be afraid around me." He shook his head.

"Padmé I have to concentrate on protecting you…regardless of my feelings. We have to stop doing this…we just have to…" She refused to give him the out he was desperately seeking.

"Don't evade me Anakin Skywalker…don't do that to me." Something within him finally snapped. He took her in his arms and kissed her mouth softly. She leaned into him close as he held her tightly.

"You don't understand Padmé…what I saw has to do with you and me…"

"What did you see?"

"The Force…it spoke to me." He pushed some of the hair back from her face. "It told me that I was destined to bring balance but that I would never do it alone. My family was destined to shoulder this burden of balance the Light Side and the Dark Side."

"You saw the future?"

"Yes."

"Your children?" He spoke to her without thinking nodding his head affirmatively as he spoke.

"…and their children…" Her eyes widened sharply. "My family will never be free from war…the Force has shown me this." He turned his face away from her. Padmé pulled her face back toward her.

"I have never loved someone this way before."

"War is not the time for this…"

"Let me finish please…" She paused, took a breath and then continued. "If what the Force allowed you to see is true…I will stand by you. You will not have to face it alone. I promise you that." No one had ever spoken such words to him. He looked into her eyes leaned in and kissed her passionately as they held each other close.

* * *

Obi-Wan Kenobi felt the pull of the Force tugging at him. He opened his eyes. Owen was fast asleep across from him. By the opening of the Temple sat the darkly lit figure of Padmé Amidala. _Where in the name of the Force was Anakin._ He caught sight of him standing out by one of the towering structures looking out at the distance.

"I didn't mean to wake you," he said.

"You felt the same thing I did."

"They are here." Kenobi sighed as he moved closer to his friend.

"Where?"

"Difficult to say…she's trying to obscure her Force signature but I can feel her Ben."

"How much time do you think we have?"

"An hour at most. She's going to want to do this by Exar Kun's temple. She's stronger than the last time we met her. This is her ultimate test."

"Her master…"

"It's Maul, it's got to be."

"How can you be so sure?" He gave his master a funny look.

"Sidious didn't train her. Her fighting style doesn't match his way of doing things." Kenobi's heart sunk to his stomach.

"Now we've got to deal with three of them?"

"Maybe more. Who knows what they've been plotting over the last ten years. The Separatist mess…it's on them." They heard rustling through the trees in the distance.

"Look!" They saw in the far distance the outlines of _Slave I_ in a small clearing.

"She's dying to do this Ben. You know it."

"Then let's give them something to fight for!" He raised up his blade as Anakin did the same. They heard the sound of a lightsaber ignited behind them. As they turned they saw Padmé with Qui-Gon Jinn's blade held tightly in her hand, next to her with two blasters at the ready was Owen Lars. The two boys from Tatooine sized each other up.

"You didn't think I was going to let you have all the fun did you Anakin?"

"No Owen, I knew you'd jump into this." His eyes met Padmé's. She smiled at him. They all turned around as the two Jedi ignited their blades and the four of them carefully made their way down to the gigantic statue of the fallen Sith Lord waiting for their enemies to strike.

* * *

It didn't take Asajj Ventriss long to make her way through the brush. Fett's helmet was off and hanging by a chord from his utility belt. He held his customized EE-3 carbine rifle close to him as they made their way from the clearing through the tree line. In the distance they saw a large faded statues surrounded by larger temples. Jango felt nervous. Not because of the mission but because of the strong feelings that he felt emanating from Ventriss. He wasn't Force-sensitive by any means, but Jango Fett knew how to read people well.

"You all right?" She said nothing as she grabbed both of her lightsabers and readied herself. "You haven't said a word to me since that run-in we had with Maul on Tatooine." She paused for a second. Ventriss really wanted to tell him many things. But she could not—not at the moment of her greatest triumph. She could taste her ascendancy into the ranks of the Sith Lords. It felt so close. Then the feelings surging through her body rose to the surface. She stopped walking and attached her sabers back on her belt.

"We should run away now. I have a bad feeling about this. I just know it."

"What's the matter Asajj?" He lowered his rifle slightly. She rubbed her stomach slightly. He noticed it for the first time. There was a bulge where previously it had been skinny. His eyes widened. The bounty hunter who struck fear into the hearts of lowly Jawas and galactic senators alike felt his eyes moisten. He wiped them as he spoke. "How long have you…"

"A few months…"

"Is it?" She smiled.

"Yes, it's yours." She paused and added another thing. "It's a boy."

"Maybe we should sit this one out." The darkness came flooding back in, and the child growing in her womb could feel it too.

"We have no choice. I will have Anakin Skywalker's head on a platter before this night is over." The redness that colored her eyes scared him, but it also gave him a sense of purpose. He would collect a bounty on these Jedi's head and leave the business for good. They would raise their child together. The boy would never know want. He had already had a name picked out— _Boba_.

He smiled as he put his helmet on and raised his rifle up. She gripped her blades and ignited them.


	5. Light and Dark Collide

**NOTE to readers. My apologies for the long absence. This is only the beginning of Chapter 5, but I wanted to get what I had out there to whet the appetites of readers. More updates to follow.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Light and Dark Collide**

Ventress stepped out of the forest with Fett close behind her. They saw the Jedi there protectively surrounding Padmé. Owen stood by the side with his blasters at the ready. She took in the sight of the mighty statute of the fallen Dark Jedi Exar Kun and smiled.

"You picked an interesting place to make your last stand Skywalker." Anakin motioned for his companions to lower their weapons as he stepped forward. Though he was an apprentice, it was clear he was taking charge. Obi-Wan Kenobi allowed him to do so as he kept his lightsaber raised defensively. Padmé followed suit somewhat awkwardly with hers. Suddenly, Anakin extinguished his blade and put it by his belt. "You are more of a fool than I thought…" She was going to speak further but he silenced her with his calm voice.

"We all have a lot at stake here Asajj. I don't want to fight you." She motioned for Jango Fett to lower his rifle. She extinguished her blades and stood closer to Anakin. The redness that had previously tainted her eyes had diminished. They returned to their normally hue.

"Say whatever it is you need to say." Anakin took a deep breath, glancing back at Ben. He nodded his head encouraging him.

"I sense another's life force." He glanced squarely at her somewhat protruding belly. Kenobi's eyes widened as he quickly realized what was going on. Anakin moved closer to her. _Anakin what are you doing?_ Kenobi's voiced echoed through his mind. _Please trust me…Ben._ He made another bold move by grabbing his lightsaber and throwing it aside.

"Leave him out of this…"

"Unfortunately, you brought him into this by your very presence." He paused for a moment. "We have one thing in common. Love."

"You know nothing of my affairs."

"It doesn't take the Force to know how much you love Jango Fett." He gulped down as he approached within inches of her. "I am also deeply in love for someone." Ventress locked eyes with Amidala and now she understood what Anakin was getting at.

"The Queen?"

"I am supposed to protect her. I am willing to lay down my life for her even if it means that I let you cut me down. But until this very moment, I didn't realize just how much I cared. I've been trying to bury the feelings. Just like you've been hiding this affair from Maul." She looked away from him. He decided to take a gamble and reveal his hand a bit more with her. "Do you think Maul will allow him to live?" He paused letting the weight of his words sink in. "Or that any of you will come out of this alive before this is all over?"

"Maul will soon eliminate Sidious as a threat to our power." Kenobi now knew the truth in his heart. His master's murderer still lived. How that was possible, he didn't even want to fathom.

"He will betray you and your unborn child. Can't you see that?"

"What are you proposing Anakin?" She used his first name. Ventress was seriously contemplating his proposal.

"A truce." Jango Fett had remained silent till now, but a seed of doubt that had surfaced earlier now stirred with him.

"Perhaps we should hear him out…"

"Go on…" she spoke without missing a beat.

"You can flee to the Outer Rim."

"I tried that already and he found us. What would make it any different this time?" Jango realized that Maul didn't know that the two of them were involved. No wonder she had tried to be so discreet on Tatooine.

"Asajj, I thought you said he knew."

"Sith aren't supposed to have these feelings Jango. The closer we worked with each other, the more I…" Her voice trailed off. A million different emotions resonated within her body. Anakin decided to risk at all as he grabbed her shoulder gently trying to comfort her.

"We don't have to do this…but I beg you…" He paused again collecting his thoughts. "Spare the Queen's life. You're here for me, not for her. If you really have something to prove to your master, to truly reach into the Dark Side, then kill me where I stand. But leave her out of this." Padmé uttered a gasp.

"You can't do this Anakin, I won't let you."

"This is the only way Padmé. The only way we can all get what we want."

"Why should I believe that you'll let me live after all this?"

"Because the Jedi Knights keep their word, isn't that right Ben?" Kenobi merely nodded his head, stunned at the profound act of valor that Anakin was prepared to make.

"Asajj, he's giving us a way out of this. Listen to him." She closed her eyes and suddenly heard a piercing voice ringing through her mind. _You must finish what you started Ventress…if you do not I will hunt you down…you are and your pitiful excuse for a child._ It was Maul's voice. Anakin realized what had happened.

"Don't listen to him. We'll protect you."

"Don't make promises you can't keep Jedi!" She raised one of her blades up.

"You have to take the chance and trust me. But you won't listen to me will you?" He paused as he said the next thing that came to his mind. "By the Force's sake, can't you even put your family—the man love before your master?" Her eyes began to change color again. Anakin had been taught many lessons by Ben Kenobi about the tortuous coils of the Dark Side of the Force. There was a moment in every Force-user's life when they were confronted with a choice. Truthfully, it was smaller choices that led down the path toward the light and the path to the darkness. What he saw unfolding before him was the ultimate choice being made. Yoda had captured it well and succinctly— _Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will…_ Her eyes were now blood red. It was clear that her master's threat and the lure of near limitless power were overcoming her maternal instincts. Not even the love she had for Jango Fett could sway her away from her course of action. She had cast her lot and Anakin had made himself an easy target for her rage.

"Foolish boy…you don't know the power of the Dark Side of the Force. I must obey him." She gripped her other blade and ignited them both. She cast a longing glance at Jango Fett whose brow was now covered with sweat. "I've come here in the shadow of Exar Kun to fulfill my destiny. You will not stand in my way!" She concentrated with the Force and flung Anakin back hard against Kun's statue. Fett launched into the air and began firing indiscriminately at the Jedi. Ben barked orders to Owen Lars.

"Take the Queen and get as far away from here as possible."

* * *

"I'm not leaving Anakin to her." Padmé clenched her teeth and gripped her lightsaber charging at Ventress.

"No! Padmé!" Before Owen or Obi-Wan could stop her she was locked in a brutal match with Ventress. Though Asajj was a skilled duelist, Padmé was rough by efficient. She lunged with her green blade and struck a blow at Ventress's arm.

"You'll pay for that!" She lifted her up with the Force and sent a surge of lightning through her body. She crumpled to the ground moaning as Owen and Ben reached her side instinctively protecting her. Before anyone else could react there was a powerful tremor in the Force that sent Ventress down to the ground hard. Leaping high into the air and landing in front of Kenobi and Lars was Anakin Skywalker. He had a deep cut near his right eye that was still bleeding but his lightsaber was ignited.

"Touch her again Asajj and I'll kill you!" There was a calm but firm rage behind his words. Though he was only a Padawan, there was authority behind his words. "Owen get Padmé out of here now. Run quickly and don't look back." Owen helped the Queen up to her feet. Kenobi moved closer to Skywalker.

"We do this together Anakin." He nodded.

"You deal with Fett. I'm going after Ventress."

* * *

Kenobi deflected a few volleys from Fett's carbine as he rushed at the Mandalorian-clad bounty hunter while Anakin moved deeper into the temple complex. He could hear explosions in the distance. _Ben can handle himself better than me._ No sooner had he had the thought that he saw Ventress beckoning him her red blades gleaming in the darkness of the largest temple.

"It didn't have to be this way."

"Don't kid yourself Skywalker. You always knew that this was how it had to end. You'll either become a full-fledged Jedi or I'll take my place at my master's side." She moved toward him slowly as he ignited his blade once again. Their blades clashed as the two finally fought alone. "You are distracted boy!" He lunged forward and struck at her, striking one of her blades then spinning around and blocking an attack from another one.

As the fighting raged Owen pulled Padmé through the winding tunnels away from the fighting.

"I have to help Anakin."

"He wouldn't want you doing that…"

"I don't care. I swore to him I'd never let him go through anything alone." She pushed Owen and ignited her blade running in the opposite direction.

"Padmé!" He chased after her.

* * *

The two continued fighting as they edged up the steps of the largest temple neither one getting the advantage. Then out of nowhere, another fighter jumped into the fray striking Ventress from behind.

"You!"

"Padmé what are you doing here?"

"I can't leave you alone."

"How sweet…now it will be easier to kill you both!" She lunged at Anakin who parried, but Padmé managed to get struck slightly in the arm. She recovered quickly gritting her teeth and using all her might struck Ventress back forcing her to tumble down some rocks. Out of breath, the two Jedi looked at each other.

"You all right?"

"It's just a scratch." Before they could say anything else Padmé and Anakin felt the stone steps they were on giving way as Asajj Ventress fired a volley of lightning. Anakin grabbed her.

"Hang on!" He leapt up using the Force and made it down to wear Ventress stood.

"We still have unfinished business." She locked eyes with Padmé who ignited her blade and charged at her.

"NO! DON'T!" Before he could stop her, Padmé was flung back hard against a wall and went unconscious.

"Now it's just us Skywalker." Anger flowed through his veins. Seeing her lying there drove him wild. "I can feel your anger…yes…you love her…let your hate flow through you that is the only thing that can stop me." Suddenly, they both heard a disturbing sound coming from the ridge beyond them—where Obi-Wan and Jango Fett were fighting. Asajj's knees went weak as they both felt a tremor in the living Force.

"You should've listened to me…"

"It can't be…he has to be alive…our baby…"

"Now you are going to pay the price for your arrogance Asajj!" She regained her composure and stared him down.

"We shall see." He moved protectively to check Padmé's pulse. He stood up and ignited his blade.

"You shouldn't have done that." She ignited both her blades again and moved closer.

"I will finish you."

"You will try." He lunged and struck first with a fury that she hadn't counted on.

* * *

Ben Kenobi felt the Force rippling through the jungle as he stepped away from the bloodied figure of Jango Fett. The Jedi Master looked at the fallen bounty hunter with a look of caption.

"Don't go yet," Fett said. "Don't let me join the Force alone." Blood came through his mouth—there was a large gaping hole in a weak spot in his armor.

"I'll stay with you Jango."

"Thank you." Kenobi knelt down next to Fett.

"You should've listened to Anakin."

"I know."

"Tell me, where is Maul?" Kenobi asked. Fett ignored the question.

"My wife, she's all that I have. Our child…"

"Asajj Ventress. You married?" Fett nodded his head weakly.

"You cannot let her die at his hand." Fett grabbed Kenobi by the wrist. "Promise me this. All the evil I've done can be redeemed by that boy she's carrying." Ben wasn't so sure about that statement. But he felt the sincerity of the dying man's words as he closed his eyes one last time. He heard another series of explosions by one of the larger temples and placed Fett's helmet down next to his limp body. He ignited his lightsaber and ran in the direction of the explosions.

They were steadily running up the steps of the larger temple. Anakin blinded with a fury strike left and right. Asajj Ventress was no longer a controlled fighter either as she slashed at him with both of her blades. His tattered Jedi robe dangled from his body. She struck and missed him but finally exposed his bare chest to the elements as his robe and tunic fell off. They were on the pinnacle of the temple—it was only a small square surrounded by the empty air. He exchanged blow for blow with her. Anakin swept her legs and destroyed one of her blades training his blade at her neck.

"Yield."

"Never. You will have to strike me down!"

"No, I will not do that." She leapt to her feet and sent his backward. He clung to the edge with both hands.

"You should've killed me when you had the chance Skywalker." Her raspy voice contained a note of desperation. Suddenly, another voice came from behind her.

"Ventress let him go!" It was Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"Stay out of this butcher." Ventress writhed in agony as she uttered the last word. Kenobi stared at her without moving an inch.

"Your husband's last wish was for you and the boy you carry in your womb to survive." She turned to him. Tears were running down her cheeks. Something in her told her to listen to the Jedi Master who stood before her.

"I will leave." She paused and then added, "But your apprentice will not forget me." She extinguished her blade and helped Anakin to his feet before slowly making her way to the site of Fett's body. A few minutes passed and they could hear her shuttle departing. It was then that Ben Kenobi noticed the large scar on Anakin's face.

"How'd you get her to leave?" asked Anakin.

"I don't know." Anakin rubbed the large scar. "Don't touch it, it's still fresh." Then Anakin remembered Owen and Padmé. Kenobi heard his thoughts. "She's fine, Owen is with her down there."

"Good." He began to walk down the steps but Ben stopped him.

"Something's troubling you." Anakin laughed.

"Oh I don't know Ben, almost saw the woman I love killed in front of my eyes and had to deal with a wannabe-Sith Lord…but other than that I am okay." Kenobi held back a smile.

"That's not what I meant and you know it." Ben waited for Anakin's answer. But all he got was one of his sardonic smiles.

"Ask me again sometime...when we get to Alderaan." With that, Anakin made his way down leaving Obi-Wan alone with his thoughts. He could only stare at the faded image of the terrible Sith Lord that loomed over them all.


End file.
